The glorified pickle. Imagine the sheer genius of taking a vegetable and drowning it in acidic brine to pickle and preserve it to transform its very nature. Who thought of this madness and what led to this magical process? When and where did this freakish act start? This is what we’ll dive into (brine), let’s talk pickles!
The cucumber plant is native to India1 and has become a jet-setter ever since, but by boat and land. This 4000-year-old rockstar of a plant went on tour beyond India and left a loyal fan base in the Tigris Valley first, and then through the rest of Western Asia, Egypt, Ancient Greece, Rome, Europe, and much later on the United States.
As history has it, the pickling process of vegetables started in Mesopotamia2 around 2400 BC, which is present-day Iraq, Kuwait, and parts of Iran, Syria and Turkey. Also known as the northern part of the Fertile Crescent which holds one of the heavyweight titles “Cradle of Civilisation.” Along the Tigris-Euphrates rivers is the ingenious area which is the birthplace of writing, agriculture, the wheel, the use of irrigation, and pickling. Archaeologists and anthropologists believe this to be the birthplace of pickling and pickles. 3
Cucumbers, pickling, and pickles — what are the differences? Cucumbers are from the Cucurbitaceae or gourd family which include melons, squashes, or pumpkins. Pickling refers not only to cucumbers. Pickling preserves vegetables, fruits, meats, or eggs. Back to cucumbers, with over 120 different cultivated varieties which are split into 3 main groups: slicing, pickling and seedless, or burpless.
The slicing cucumbers are not all alike, the North American version is thicker, more uniform in colour, and has tougher skin when compared to the English/European ones which are thinner, longer, and have delicate skin. These are the ‘usual’ ones you find in your supermarket covered in plastic.
The pickling cucumbers are bred and intended for uniformity to pickle in brine, sugar or vinegar. The cucumbers grown for the intention of pickling are called picklers. Picklers are shorter, thicker and have bumpy skin compared to slicers.
The burpless or seedless cucumbers are sweeter, have thinner skin, are nearly seedless and can grow up to 60 centimetres. You can pickle these cucumber sorts but the best would be the pickler.
To pickle, you need a few things: a container, food you want to pickle, brine (salt water) or acid (vinegar) and some time. The outcome is the pickled form of that food. The reason for pickling is to preserve, let’s say you harvested a good amount in summer and want to preserve enough for your winter rations. P.I.T.A, pickling is the answer! Here are some beautiful varieties from around the world:
Indian Aam Ka Achar (mango)
Philippine Atchara (green papaya)
Moroccan L’hamd Markad (preserved lemons)
South Korean Kimchi (napa cabbage)
Italian Giardiniera (vegetable relish)
Turkish Turşu (mixed vegetables)
Japanese Gari and Nattō (ginger and soybeans)
German Sauerkraut (green cabbage)
French Cornichon (baby cucumbers)
Brazilian Conserva de Pimenta (malagueta peppers)
Mexican Escabeche (jalapeños and carrots)
Pickled foods are a triple threat because they provide health benefits, last longer, and are packed with salivating flavour. Every nation has its own staple of pickles. Pickling food is fun, easy, and provides so many nutritional benefits to your gut bacteria. They are a constant win! Try some of them out and let me know which ones are your favourite!
http://www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/history-of-cucumbers/
http://www.nyfoodmuseum.org/_ptime.htm
https://www.history.com/news/pickles-history-timeline
http://www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/history-of-cucumbers/
https://fsi.colostate.edu/cucumbers/