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A pickle is a fruit or vegetable that has been preserved and flavoured in either a brine (salt solution) or a vinegar solution, or a combination of the two.
Many traditional pickles involve a process of fermentation and the brine or acid is part of what ensures that the right bacteria
are involved (see Processed Pickles below).
The USA pickle market is dominated by gherkins, which are small pickled cucumbers
(there are as many as 8500 gherkins in a 45-gallon barrel). A midget is even smaller gherkin (there are up to 30,000 small
midgets in a barrel); so much so, that Americans often tend to use the word pickle to mean gherkin. In the UK, the most common type of pickle is the pickled onion, often sold in Fish 'n' Chip shops. In some parts of the country, there might also be pickled
eggs, but this tradition is dying out. In Taiwan, popular pickled food includes: plum, cucumber, cabbage, radish, eggs.
Indian mixed
pickles consist of various pickled fruits and vegetables (invariably including chili peppers) suspended in vegetable oil.
Pickle may also refer to the pickling solution, or similar solutions used for different purposes, such as removing
scale from metal or preserving wood. The word
pickle sometimes means a tough situation, or it may refer to a difficult or annoying person.
It is believed that gherkins were first made 4500 years ago in Mesopotamia. Cleopatra thought
gherkins made her beautiful. The armies of Julius Caesar and Napoleon were fed gherkins. During World War II, forty percent of the gherkins produced in the US went to the armed forces.
There are many different types of gherkins based on differences in preparation, added ingredients, especially spices, size, and form. The US market divides them as follows:
- Based on the way gherkins are made, there are processed pickles (also called fermented),
fresh-pack pickles, and refrigerated pickles.
- Based on flavourings, there are dill, garlic, sweet, bread and
butter, deli and kosher pickles.
- Based on size, there are gerkins and midgets.
- Based on form, there are whole pickles, spears, chips,
slices, chunks and stackers.
Pickles are made in one of three ways:
- Processed pickles are made the old-fashioned way, by a process of fermentation. The bacteria in the cucumber is allowed to reduce
the sugars present. This usually takes about five weeks, and the resulting pickles have a
shelf life of many months.
- Fresh-packed pickles are made by pasteurizing
cucumbers to kill bacteria or make bacterial spores dormant. Fresh-packed pickles have a shelf life of many months. Many
commercially-produced pickles are fresh-packed.
- Refrigerated pickles (sometimes called overnight pickles) are made by placing cucumbers in
a vinegar solution and refrigerating them. Compared to processed or fresh-pack pickles, refrigerated pickles have a relatively
short shelf life, and even unopened jars should be kept refrigerated.
Dill pickles are sour. Kosher pickles are garlic-flavoured dills. Bread and butter pickles are onion-flavored and
sweet.
See also
External links
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