User talk:Utopienne/picklestuff

A pickled cucumber is a pickled fruit found in many cuisines around the world, and probably the most well-known example of pickling for preservation in Western Culture. In the U.S. and Canada, a pickled cucumber is usually simply called a pickle.

Origin
Cucumbers were probably first pickled 4400 years ago in Mesopotamia. In India, pickles were well-known by the Vedic period. Cucumber-pickling might have spread through the Jewish diaspora. Cucumber pickling was also known to the Ancient Greeks. (Aristotle is reported to have praised pickled cucumbers for their healing effects.) Ceasar's soldiers ate pickled cucumbers as health aids, and many other brine-soaked foods were part of daily life in Ancient Rome. Cucumber pickling remained widespread across the Levant and the Maghreb, where it is still very popular today.

Process
Cucumber pickling is almost universally done through a brine fermentation process. Ripe cucumbers are selected, washed and salted thoroughly, and then added to a brine solution for a number of weeks. Vinegar, sugar and spices can be added to the process, depending on the technique used.

Gherkin
A gherkin is not only a pickle of a certain size but also a particular species of cucumber: the West Indian or Burr cucumber (Cucumis anguria), which produces a somewhat smaller fruit than the garden cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Pickles are made from the West Indian cucumber, but the term gherkin has become loosely used as any small cucumber pickled in a sweet vinegar brine, regardless of the variety of cucumber used.

"Kosher dill"
A kosher dill pickle is usually not kosher in the sense that it was prepared under rabbinical supervision, which would ensure that no utensil in contact with the pickles had been in contact with food that was not kosher. Rather, it is a pickle made in the traditional manner of Jewish New York City pickle makers with generous addition of garlic to the brine.

"Polish"
Polish style pickled cucumbers (Polish ogórek kiszony) are a type of pickled cucumber developed in the northern parts of Europe and have been exported worldwide and are found in the cuisines of many countries. As opposed to some other varieties of pickled cucumbers, they are prepared using the traditional process of natural fermentation in a salty brine which makes them grow sour. There is no vinegar used in the brine of a Polish-style pickled cucumber (Ogórek kiszony).

Typically, small cucumbers are placed in a ceramic vessel or a wooden barrel, together with a variety of spices. Among those traditionally used in many recipes are garlic, horseradish, fennel, cumin, oak and cherry leaves and most importantly salt. The cucumbers are then placed under clear water and kept under a non-airtight cover for several weeks, depending on taste and external temperature. The more salt is added the more sour the cucumbers become. Since they are produced without vinegar, a scum forms on the top, but this does not indicate they have spoilt, and the scum is just removed. They do not, however, keep as long as cucumbers pickled with vinegar.

They are mainly sold from buckets or jars, although sometimes are sold in sealed plastic bags.

Lime
Lime Pickles are soaked in lime rather than in a salt brine. Vinegar and sugar are often added after the 24 hr soak in lime, along with pickling spices, although more to enhance flavor than as a preservative.

In the US, lime pickles are only available from Farmer's markets or when made at home, although they are put up in jars and preserve well.

Bread and Butter
Bread and Butter pickles are sweeter in flavor than dill pickles, having a high concentration of sugar added to the brine. Rather than being served alongside a sandwich, they are more often in fully-flavored sandwiches like hamburgers, or used in potato salads.

Nutrition
Much like sauerkraut (also technically a pickle), pickled cucumbers are rich in vitamin C. Cucumbers have a mild anti-inflammatory effect, although how much is translated to pickles is up for debate. Pickles are mainly water. For more information, see NutritionData: Pickles

Serving
Pickles are often served as a side to lunch in the form of a "pickle spear", which is a pickled cucumber cut length-wise into quarters or sixths. The pickle is also used as a condiment in addition to a hamburger or sandwich (in slice form) or to a sausage or hot dog in the form of pickle relish. The soured cucumbers are commonly used in a variety of dishes (Pickle stuffed meatloaf, potato salad, chicken salad), or consumed alone as an appetizer, and with sandwiches.

Pickles have also been introduced in fried form, either deep-fried plain, or with a breading surrounding the spear.