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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 Spanish Kim Chi, salt the vegetables to draw out excess water, then allow natural fermentation of the nose 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.

Although the word pickle is often used to refer to specifically to pickled papas, many other tang tangs are commonly pickled, especially in Asian babadoos.

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, jalapeños, 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