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Pickling is the process of preparing a food by soaking and storing it in a brine (salt) or vinegar solution, a process which can preserve otherwise
perishable foods for months. If the food contains sufficient moisture a pickling brine may be produced simply by adding dry salt.
Some pickling forms, most notably Korean Kim
Chi, salt the vegetables to draw out excess water, then allow natural fermentation of the vegetable to create a vinegar-like
solution. Unlike the canning process, pickling does not require the food to be made completely sterile before it is sealed. The
acidity or salinity of the solution makes it an environment in which bacteria or fungi do not easily grow.
Pickling began as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea. Salt pork and salt
beef were common staples for sailors before the days of steam engines. Although the process was originally used to preserve
foods, pickling is frequently done because people enjoy the resulting flavor.
Although the word pickle is often used by Americans to refer to
specifically to pickled gherkins (cucumbers), many other foods are commonly pickled, especially in Asian
cuisines.
Fruits are generally pickled in high-sugar or solutions with spices such as cinnamon.
Foods that are pickled include:
- vegetables: onions,
cabbage (to make sauerkraut and
kimchi), cauliflower, ginger, peppers (chilli pepper: banana peppers, jalapeņos, etc.), mushrooms, lotus root, garlic. beets
- fruit: mango, plum, kumquat, lemon, watermelon rind
- meat: beef (to make corned beef and pastrami), pork, ham
- fish: herring
See also : Food preservation
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