Food Traditions
Pickling
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
The preservation of vegetables, fruit or other food in an acidic medium, typically vinegar brine or the food's own lactic-fermentation acid, halting spoilage while developing a sharp, sour flavor. Vinegar pickling and lactic-fermented pickling are related but distinct methods that arose independently in many regions rather than spreading from one source. Kimjang, the making and sharing of kimchi in the Republic of Korea, was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2015, and pickled vegetables of many kinds appear across Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese and European tables alike.
Facts
Origin Period, From (Year)Conventional dating places early Mesopotamian cucumber pickling around 2400 BCE; some accounts place it closer to 2030 BCE. Origin RegionMesopotamia, where cucumbers, whose seed reached the Tigris Valley from India, were preserved in brine; pickling subsequently spread across the ancient Mediterranean and South Asian world. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. The Juicy 4,000-Year History of Pickles (History.com)
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Harold McGee, Scribner, 2004technique discussion: pickling and brining
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Harold McGee, Scribner, 2004Expressed By: Chili Pepper, ch. on vegetables and fruit, pickling
The Oxford Companion to Food
Alan Davidson, Oxford University Press, 2014Expressed By: Indian Cuisine, s.v. Pickles, Indian
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.