Pickles, Sweet

The noun “pickle” applies to that which pickles as well as to that which gets pickled; hence, a sweet pickle is both a fruit or vegetable that has been preserved in a sugary solution and the sugary solution in which the fruit or vegetable has been preserved. Known the world over in one form or another—for pickling is an ancient solution to the problems of food storage and spoilage, one that has had a lasting impact on virtually all foodways—sweet pickles reach their peak in condiments like mango chutney from India, northern Italy’s mostarda di frutta, and umeboshi, the exquisitely sour Japanese pickled plum.