Everyone sort of assumes it is the chicken. Everyone thinks that the process of pickling was invented as a way of preserving food in a time long before refrigeration, and that people who tried it decided it tasted great, too.
But what if it were the egg? What if someone in that long-ago time dropped a cucumber in a vat of vinegar and salt because he thought it would taste good and later discovered to his surprise the liquid also helped to preserve the vegetables?
Not that it matters. Pickles are wonderful, and they last a long time. They're the best of both worlds.
And they don't have to be cucumbers. A wide variety of vegetables and even fruit can be pickled, with excellent results. Even meat can be pickled, if you have a mind to do it.
I don't. I'll do anything for food, but I won't do that.
Instead, I made seven kinds of non-cucumber pickles, covering the spectrum of ingredients and styles - sour and sweet, vegetables and fruit and eggs. I even made a Japanese version of sauerkraut which, when you get down to it, is just pickled cabbage.
I had one slight drawback in my efforts to be completely diverse in pickles: Three of the varieties I made were flavored with cinnamon and cloves. But what are you going to do? At least they taste good.
PICKLED GREEN BEANS
Yield: 6 pints
3 pounds green beans or yellow wax beans, stem ends removed
2 tablespoons salt, plus more for blanching
6 garlic cloves
6 small dried chile peppers
6 sprigs fresh herbs, such as basil, dill, tarragon, Thai basil or cilantro
3 1/2 cups white-wine vinegar
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
30 black peppercorns
30 coriander seeds
1. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Blanch the beans in well-salted boiling water (3 tablespoons of salt to 1 gallon of water) for 60-90 seconds, until they are bright and pliable but not cooked through. Drain and shock in the ice water. Trim to 4-inch lengths if necessary to fit into pint jars.
2. Divide the garlic, chilies and herbs equally among six prepared pint jars. Pack the beans into the jars.
3. Combine the vinegar, water, the 2 tablespoons of salt, sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns and coriander in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Ladle the hot syrup over the beans, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal, and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.
Per serving (based on 12): 82 calories; 1 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 3 g protein; 15 g carbohydrate; 6 g sugar; 5 g fiber; 1,182 mg sodium; 89 mg calcium
Recipe from "Saving the Season" by Kevin West
PICKLED CHERRIES
Yield: 3 pints
2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 small cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
6 cups cherries, about
2 pounds
1. Prepare a boiling-water canner and keep the cleaned jars and lids warm. Heat the vinegar, sugar and spices in a large saucepan, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve.
2. Prick each cherry with a sharp knife (to prevent them from bursting), but try to keep the stems attached (for looks). Add them to the sweet vinegar and simmer for 4 minutes; do this gently to avoid breaking up the fruit. Lift the cherries with a slotted spoon into warm, dry jars.
3. Remove the spices and boil the vinegar until it becomes syrupy (it will thicken as it cools). Pour this over the cherries, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Use a sterilized plastic spatula to remove any air bubbles. Process the filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes. Let cool, tighten the seals again if needed and label before storing. Refrigerate once opened.
Per serving (based on 12): 350 calories; no fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1g protein; 88g carbohydrate; 2g sugar; 2g fiber; 7mg sodium; 20mg calcium
Recipe from "Salt Sugar Smoke" by Diana Henry
HAKUSAI NO TSEUKEMONO
Yield: 6 cups
4-5 pounds napa cabbage (Japanese cabbage)
3-4 ounces salt
1/2-1 teaspoon togarashi (a Japanese spice blend) or 6 dry red peppers
1. Wash cabbage and discard any discolored leaves. Cut an X in the root end about 3 inches deep and pull the cabbage apart into 4 quarters. Sprinkle each quarter with salt.
2. Place a layer of leaves in a tub, crock or large bowl, sprinkle with more salt and some of the togarashi or a dried pepper. Continue adding layers until all of the cabbage, peppers and salt is used up. Place a plate or disc of wood on top, along with a few pounds' of weight. Cover with cloth and store at room temperature.
3. After 24 hours, the stack of cabbage will have halved in size. Remove the weight and disc, turn the cabbage with your hands and replace the disc and weight. Do not drain the liquid.
4. Let sit for 3-4 days. Cut out the hard white core of the cabbage and slice the rest crosswise in 1-inch pieces. Taste, and if it is too salty or hot, rinse as needed with water.
5. The cabbage will continue fermenting, so when it is as sour as you want it, remove from the tub or bowl, drain the excess liquid, and store covered in the refrigerator.
Per serving (based on 12): 33 calories; no fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 2 g protein; 7 g carbohydrate; 3 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 468 mg sodium; 120 mg calcium
Recipe from "Japanese Country Cookbook" by Russ Rudzinski
TRADITIONAL SPICED BEETS
Yield: 4 pints
6 pounds small beets (6-8 bunches)
2 cups wine vinegar, white or red
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons salt
3 inches cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
5 allspice berries
1/2 pod star anise
1. Fill a large bowl with ice and water, and set aside. Trim the beet greens to 1 inch above the root, but leave the root's skinny "tail" intact to prevent bleeding. Boil the beets whole in unsalted water until a skewer pierces them easily, 30-40 minutes, depending on size.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the vinegar syrup. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice and star anise in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and set aside to steep.
3. When the beets are tender, drain and plunge them into ice water. Slip them out of their skins, tidying up the root and stem ends with a knife. Cut the beets into quarters and pack them snugly into four prepared (clean and sterile) pint jars.
4. Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, straining it through a small, fine-mesh sieve to capture the aromatics. Gently shake the jar as you fill it to settle the beets. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Run a skewer or other thin implement around the inside to release air pockets. Seal the jars, and process in a boiling-water bath for 30 minutes. Allow to cure at least a week before opening.
Per serving (based on 16): 132 calories; 1 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 3 g protein; 30 g carbohydrate; 24 g sugar; 6 g fiber; 575 mg sodium; 43 mg calcium
Recipe from "Saving the Season" by Kevin West
QUICK RED ONION PICKLE
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
1 medium red onion (about 8 ounces), peeled
3 cups boiling water
1 cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons spices, such as black or pink peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds or juniper berries, optional
1. Have ready a spotlessly clean 1 1/2-cup glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, cut the onion into slices 1/8-inch thick, working your way from stem end to root. Put the onions slices in a colander in the sink, separating the slices into rings.
3. Pour the boiling water over the onion rings. Pack them into the jar.
4. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and spices, if using, and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour into the jar, tamp down the onion rings so they are fully immersed, and close the lid. Cool on the counter completely before using, 1-2 hours (but the flavor will improve over the next 2 days). Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 1 month.
Per serving (based on 4): 37 calories; no fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein; 7 g carbohydrate; 4 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 594 mg sodium; 21 mg calcium
Recipe from "Tasting Paris" by Clotilde Dussoulier
PICKLED PEARS
Yield: 4 pints
4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar, divided
9 cups water, divided
4 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoons whole allspice berries
4 pounds firm pears
1 tablespoon salt
1. In a large pot, combine the sugar, 2 cups of the vinegar, 1 cup of the water and cinnamon sticks. Place cloves and allspice in cheesecloth and tie it together or place the spices in a tea strainer or teabag. Add the spices to the mixture, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes.
2. Pour the remaining 8 cups of cold water into a large bowl and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and salt. Wash and peel the pears; remove the blossom end and cut into quarters or halves. Immediately place the pear pieces into the prepared cold water to prevent browning. Drain just before using.
3. Add pears to the boiling syrup and continue simmering for 20-30 minutes. Pack hot pears into clean, hot pint jars; add 1 piece of cinnamon stick per jar and cover with boiling syrup to 1/2 inch of top. Adjust jar lids.
4. Process in boiling water for 20 minutes (begin counting when the water resumes boiling). Remove jars and tighten seals, if necessary. Store jars upright, several inches apart, on wire rack to cool.
Per serving (based on 16 servings): 118 calories; no fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1 g protein; 31 g carbohydrate; 24 g sugar; 4 g fiber; 153 mg sodium; 26 mg calcium
Recipe from "Complete Guide to Home Canning, Preserving and Freezing" by the United States Department of Agriculture
PICKLED EGGS
Yield: 12 servings
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns, see note
10 whole cloves, see note
1 bay leaf, see note
2 dried whole chile peppers
1 cooked beet, optional
12 hard boiled eggs, peeled
Note: Instead of using peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf and dried peppers, you can use 2 teaspoons of pickling spices.
1. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf and dried peppers (or pickling spices) in small saucepan. Add cooked beet for a beautiful magenta color, if desired. Bring to boil, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain liquid through sieve or cheesecloth, if desired.
2. Place eggs in a 1-quart jar with lid. Pour hot liquid over eggs. Cover jar with lid. Refrigerate for at least two days before using. Pickled eggs will keep for one month in the refrigerator.
Per serving: 88 calories; 5 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 186 mg cholesterol; 7 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 2 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 274 mg sodium; 39 mg calcium
Recipe from eggs.ca