If the thought of a vinegary, sour pickle makes your mouth pucker with delight, you’re also probably the type of person who seeks out food that add a kick to your palette. Pickling is a cooking technique that finds its earliest origins as early as 2030 BC and is known to be one of the most effective ways of having longevity for seasonal vegetables, meat or fish. Typically based in a brine made of vinegar and equal parts salt and sugar, pickles differ from one another across the world, based on the kind of ingredient that’s being preserved.
Whether you enjoy eating a pickle on its own or adding to your sandwiches, salads, burgers and even pasta sauces, texture plays an important role in enjoying a pickle, along with the taste. Depending on your culinary purpose and what you plan on adding pickles to, there’s a different kind for each recipe. Here are some of the types.
Sirka
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An Indian way of soaking whole baby onions or diced lemons in a vinegar and salt combination, pickles with sirka are the simplest type of pickles made in India. These pickles take on the flavours from the vinegar solution and provide a sour balance to match the richness of Indian food.
Sweet Pickles
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Also known as bread and butter pickles, these are usually made with tender cucumbers that marinate in a brine made of whole mustard seeds, vinegar, turmeric and a lot of sugar. Typically cut into thin, ridged slices, these pickles are great on everything from burgers, sandwiches or even deep-fried as is.
Pickled Peppers
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Dill Pickles
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What is usually whole or speared cucumbers soaking in a brine flavoured with dill, garlic and whole black peppercorns, dill pickles are best eaten cold, by directly biting into them. Milder in sour flavour compared to its counterparts, dill pickles absorb the natural flavours of the herbs and aromatics that are used in the brine.
Capers
Image Credits: The Splendid Table
These sun-dried pickled flower buds are a Mediterranean specialty that has a wide array of uses which range from being part of a Caesar salad dressing to being added whole to salads and pasta sauces for a tart punch. Chopped capers are also great to cut through the richness of a herbed mayonnaise dip or hummus and provide a briny punch to food.