Submitted by Shabless t3_12690ps in explainlikeimfive
open_door_policy t1_je8d5et wrote
Reply to comment by Caucasiafro in ELI5 Why are pickles not just called pickled cucumbers? by Shabless
Sauerkraut and olives are also both very common, but most people don't think of them as being pickled.
Pig's feet and eggs also both exist, but are definitely uncommon.
echil0n t1_je8efer wrote
And Jalapeños.. source: am Mexican. Don't think I've gone more than a day without eating my meals with pickled Jalapeños.
msr214 t1_je8jzuv wrote
With the picked carrots as well yum
fountainpopjunkie t1_je8l45s wrote
Pickled onions too.
Kaneida t1_je8qnnb wrote
Pickled red onions are awesome!
Caucasiafro t1_je8huxs wrote
I always thought sauerkraut wasn't "technically" pickled but fermented.
After a cursory Google search I have no idea how I came to that conclusion that that doesn't still count as pickling.
Easily my favorite pickled product.
mindvape t1_je8mytp wrote
But sauerkraut is fermented and that is not the same as pickling.
slimsag t1_je8qb0r wrote
it is correct to say sauerkraut is both fermented AND pickled
'pickled' just means preserving something in a brine. This can be done through an acid brine like vinegar and heat treatment.. or through lacto-fermentation (a salt brine which helps a particular type of bacteria, which produces acid, grow.)
Even in just the context of cucumber pickles at your grocery store, you can often find both types and not even know it.
Cheaper brands on the shelves like Vlasic will be heat-pasteurized in a vinegar brine, normally not refrigerated as there's no live bacteria producing gasses so the jars won't explode.
While other brands like Claussen, Mt Olive, etc. will be in the fridge section because they were lacto-fermented and need to stay cool to slow the bacteria to keep them fresh longer (and avoid unwanted pressure buildup in the jar.)
Zumazumarum t1_je8tklp wrote
I disagree to this, could you provide a source? My definition of pickle is to prevent any fermentation and bacteria development, while fermenting is to preserve food with a specific type of bacteria/yeast.
Edit: their are many types of salt brine fermentations, like soy sauce, but wouldn't call that pickled either.
slimsag t1_jean6z0 wrote
> Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickling
> their are many types of salt brine fermentations, like soy sauce, but wouldn't call that pickled either.
Soy sauce is indeed a fermented salt brine. But what food is it preserving? None, just the liquid itself. So it's not pickled, it's just fermented.
But if you use soy sauce to ferment and preserve say vegetables, then those vegetables are said to be /pickled/. There's even a word for it (Shoyuzuke)
Zumazumarum t1_jeayicy wrote
Yeah, I read the wiki, but I still disagree to it. Looking up pickle on Oxford dictionary, merriam-webster, Cambridge or dictionary.com they all say its a vinegar or brine preservation. None of them mention fermentation. I don't know why Wikipedia has decided to bundle the two things together, there's no source to it.
F.ex. Sauerkraut is a salt fermentation, but not with a brine. Yet, Wikipedia says its still a pickled food in contrary to the dictionaries definitions.
In my culture, we have a clear separation between the two ways of preserving food. So I'm just surprised ppl here bundle them into the same thing.
slimsag t1_jeb7o12 wrote
> Sauerkraut is a salt fermentation, but not with a brine
Sauerkraut is made with the immense amount of water that is in cabbage, and salt, i.e. a brine. Brine is just salty water. When you add salt to cabbage as you do when making Sauerkraut, you literally end up with brine and cabbage. Sauerkraut is pickled food because it is a food preserved in a brine, in this case through fermentation.
Zumazumarum t1_jebd4ov wrote
Dude, I know what brine is. You're being perfidious. Making vegetables shed water is not adding brine or using brine. It's just a salt fermentation. Look at any pickle jar and the liquid to vegetable ratio isn't anything like sauerkraut. You're really stretching the argument beyond the dictionary definition.
Let's just leave it here. Agree to disagree.
slimsag t1_jec0jch wrote
not sure why you're getting mad at me, I just share facts about fermentation and pickling vegetables with you from Wikipedia and other reliable sources, because I like pickling & fermentation and enjoy sharing cool knowledge.
gordonmessmer t1_je8ubj8 wrote
"Pickling is the process of preserving edible products in an acid solution, usually vinegar, or in salt solution (brine). In the latter case, the acid that does the preservative action (lactic acid mainly) is produced by fermentation"
MoogTheDuck t1_je8e0yu wrote
You can pickle anything really
stewmander t1_je8j8ww wrote
Can you pickle me, Greg?
initforthesummers t1_je8g462 wrote
We can pickle that!
urzu_seven t1_je8havw wrote
Mental_Cut8290 t1_je8l9ei wrote
Do not know what to do with that.
femmestem t1_je8i642 wrote
I had to look up "are all olives pickled" because I thought "pickled" involved vinegar. I had no idea it included salt brine, sugar brine, and oil. TIL Thanks!
open_door_policy t1_je8ltkk wrote
Yeah, the old recipes for pickles didn't involve any vinegar. You added some salt, then let the bacteria add lactic acid for you. No need to add acetic acid.
BebopFlow t1_je8qrmm wrote
Honestly lacto-fermentation adds a ton of flavor and it's probiotic. Vinegar pickles just don't stand up and (in an apparent reversal of half this thread's opinions) I don't think they even deserve to be called "pickles"
DanelleDee t1_je8japc wrote
I have picked beets, carrots, beans, and onions in my fridge as well. Those are all fairly common in the part of Canada where I live.
dshookowsky t1_je8hfkk wrote
I love pickled cukes, carrots, onions, even herring. I can't stand sauerkraut or olives and I've tried. A muffaletta sammich looks delicious, but the olives ruin it for me. I also prefer a corned beef special over a Reuben.
proton_badger t1_je8p9q6 wrote
I make pickled eggs sometimes when I want a break from tea eggs.
DTux5249 t1_je8rrwq wrote
True. Probably because most people don't think about what sauerkraut or olives actually are xD
mindvape t1_je8n3ui wrote
Sauerkraut isn’t pickled.
gordonmessmer t1_je8ubz7 wrote
"Pickling is the process of preserving edible products in an acid solution, usually vinegar, or in salt solution (brine). In the latter case, the acid that does the preservative action (lactic acid mainly) is produced by fermentation"
Kaneida t1_je8qemj wrote
Sauerkraut is not pickled, sauerkraut is fermented. Pickles = to marinate in vinegar.
Sauerkraut is indeed a pickle. TIL.
point1edu t1_je8ua4e wrote
Every source I look at says sauerkraut is considered pickled cabbage.
Kaneida t1_je8xz2p wrote
Aye seems that is correct. Today I learned.
gordonmessmer t1_je8ucb3 wrote
"Pickling is the process of preserving edible products in an acid solution, usually vinegar, or in salt solution (brine). In the latter case, the acid that does the preservative action (lactic acid mainly) is produced by fermentation"
Kaneida t1_je8xsmk wrote
I was under following impression:
> No, pickling is not fermentation. Pickling use vinegar and heat to kill microorganisms. Fermentation, on the other hand, let the natural bacteria create lactic acid that will keep the bad microorganisms at bay, while improving the nutritional quality of the vegetables.
However found somwhere else following:
> Sauerkraut is a pickle! The naturally high water content in cabbage, mixed with salt, makes a brine, which therefore makes sauerkraut and kimchi a pickle as well as a fermented food.
So today I learned. Thanks for correcting me!
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