When was pickles invented

During the Age of Exploration, many sailors on transoceanic voyages suffered from scurvy, a nasty but all-too common disease caused by a deficiency of Vitamin C. On his storied expedition to the New World, Christopher Columbus reportedly rationed pickles to his sailors, even going so far as to grow cucumbers in Haiti to restock for the rest of the trip.

By , Dutch farmers in New York had begun growing cucumbers in the area that is now Brooklyn. Early in the s, the Scottish chemist James Young invented paraffin wax, which created a better seal in jars used to preserve food. Then in , John Mason of Philadelphia patented the first Mason jar, made from a heavyweight glass that could withstand high temperatures during the canning process. They can be sweet, sour, salty, hot or all of the above. Pickles can be made with cauliflower, radishes, onions, green beans, asparagus and a seemingly endless variety of other vegetables and fruits.

When the English arrived in the New World, they brought their method for creating sweet pickles with vinegar, sugar and spiced syrup. Eastern Europeans introduced various forms of lacto-fermented cabbage, known as sauerkraut. In the Middle East pickles are served with every meal, from peppers to olives to lemons.

Traditionally kimchi is made with cabbage, but any number of vegetables—including carrots, cucumbers, and radishes—can all be kimchi. The food is an integral part of Korean cuisine, and can be served with almost any meal. Some families even own dedicated kimchi fridges for storing their mixtures in the ideal environment for fermentation.

Sauerkraut is a staple of many European cuisines. Food historian Joyce Toomre suggests it originated in China, and according to legend, laborers building the Great Wall first made it by pickling shredded cabbage in rice wine.

The dish allegedly traveled West by way of the Mongolian army in the 13th century. A jar of pickled eggs used to be a common sight in English pubs and American dive bars. Preserved eggs and booze may seem like an odd pairing, but it actually makes perfect sense from a nutritional standpoint.

Eggs are high in cysteine , an amino acid that your body uses to help keep your liver happy. Another common non-vegetable pickle is pickled herring.

With the success all things pickled have had around the world, we can buy it. BY Michele Debczak. Cucumbers in a Pickle Pickles of all kinds were a hit with the ancient world.

The Big Dill With Pickle Brines For most of pickling history, people have added spices and aromatics to their pickle brines. The Origins of Bread and Butter Pickles Some people prefer bread and butter pickles, which are made by adding something sweet to the pickling brine , like brown sugar or sugar syrup, and they generally omit the garlic that gives kosher pickles their distinctive flavor.

The Pickle Goes Mainsteam As pickles became more popular, American food companies hopped on the pickle-wagon. Pickles From Around the Globe It's not just cucumbers that get pickled—there are many notable pickles from around the world. This story has been adapted from an episode of Food History on YouTube. Food History News. Subscribe to our Newsletter! No products in the cart. A Brief History of Pickles. December 23, One Comment. Related Post. Our Famous Pickles. Shop Now. Sour Pickles. Select options.

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