The Science of Pickling

WHAT IS PICKLING?

Pickling is one of the oldest forms of food preservation, dating all the way back to 2400 BC, as a way to prevent spoilage before modern refrigeration. The process involves submerging fruits, vegetables, meat, or plant roots into either a salt brine or vinegar in order to control the fermentation process. Because it's such an effective method, it's still widely used today. 

PICKLES: INTERNATIONAL CUISINE

No matter what country you visit, you'll always encounter pickles in some form. Pretty much every type of food can be pickled. In the UK, for example, you may be offered pickled onions or pickled eggs with your pint of beer. In Myanmar, tea leaves are pickled to make a beloved salad called lahpet. In Hungary, pickles are made using the yeast from a slice of bread. 

 

Hungry? Here's How to Make Oven-Baked "Fried Pickles."

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Obviously, if pickling has persisted so long, it works–but how exactly? It's all about acidity. Pickling drops the pH level of our food below 4.5, which is low enough to kill off most bacteria. When using vinegar to ferment pickled foods, the vinegar works to replace the water in the food, thus bringing down the pH. 

For salt brines, the scientific process is a bit different. The naturally present lactobacillus bacteria survives the salt brine and suppresses growth of other bacteria as it quickly starts processing into lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Not only does it produce a crunchy, sour pickle, but it also positively influences the number of vitamins and minerals! 

Depending on the level of sourness desired, pickling can take anywhere from 1 week to over a month. Though we now have many methods of preserving food, the number one reason pickling has stuck around all this time is simply because we love the taste!

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