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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. The resulting food is called a pickle.

If the food contains sufficient moisture a pickling brine may be produced simply by adding dry salt. Some pickling forms, most notably Korean Kim Chi, salt the vegetables to draw out excess water, then allow natural fermentation of the vegetable 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.

Pickling began as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea. Salt pork and salt beef were common staples for sailors before the days of steam engines. Although the process was originally used to preserve foods, pickling is frequently done because people enjoy the resulting flavor.

Fruits are sometimes pickled in high-sugar or solutions with flavorings such as cinnamon, mustard, or dill seed.

Pickles popular in different places

The USA pickle market is dominated by cucumber pickles such as gherkins. In the US, the word "pickle" by itself usually refers to a pickled cucumber. Cucumbers may be cooked in spiced sugar syrup (sweet pickles), pickled in brine with dill (dill pickles), or with dill and garlic (kosher dills). Pickle relish, a traditional condiment for hot dogs, is made from sweet pickles.

In the UK, the most common type of pickle in British cuisine is the pickled onion. They are often sold in Fish 'n' Chip shops, as are pickled eggs. Pickled beetroot and condiments such as "Branston pickle" are typically eaten as an accompaniment to pork pies and cold meats or a ploughman's lunch.

China is home to a huge variety of pickled vegetables, including radish, cabbage, chili pepper and cucumber, among many others.

In Taiwan, popular pickled food includes: plum, cucumber, cabbage, radish and eggs.

Japanese tsukemono include daikon, plums, turnips, and lettuce, among other vegetables.

Korean kimchi is usually made from pickled cabbage.

Indian mixed pickles consist of various pickled fruits and vegetables (invariably including chile peppers) suspended in vegetable oil.

Pickled herring and rollmops are pickled fish dishes popular typically in Scandinavia. Lox may be brine-pickled.

Capers are almost invariable served pickled, rather than fresh.

Other foods that are commonly pickled include:

• vegetables: onions, cabbage (to make sauerkraut and kimchi), cauliflower, capers, ginger, peppers (chilli pepper: banana peppers, jalapeños, etc.), mushrooms, lotus root, garlic, beets, okra
• fruit: mango, plum, kumquat, lemon, watermelon rind
• meat: beef (to make corned beef and pastrami), pork, ham
• fish: herring
• eggs

Other uses of the word "pickle"

Pickle may also refer to the pickling solution, or similar solutions used for different purposes, such as removing scale from metal or preserving wood.

See also

• food preservation
• piccalilli
• pickling
• sauerkraut
• chutney
• Kimchi
• Tsukemono
• Pickled pigs feet
• Achar
• Ajvar

• Cooking techniques
• Food preservation
• Vegetables
• Polish cuisine