Pickles

Appears in

Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Published 2004

About

The word “pickle” derives from the Dutch pekel or German Pökel; the method of pickling was brought to North America with the arrival of Dutch colonizers from the Netherlands in the early 1600s. Throughout history, pickles and other preserved foods have made world exploration possible by providing palatable, mobile foods for sailors to eat. They have helped people survive during winter months when many fresh ingredients were not available.

Pickles date from as far back as ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq), where a variety of foods were preserved in salt-water brine and regarded as delicacies. In the United States cucumber pickles are the most common pickle; but a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish have been preserved in a liquid combination of brine or vinegar, herbs, or spices—often in sugar or even oil. Pickles can be sour or sweet, salty, hot, or spicy—even pungent.

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