Home > Pickling
Pickling is the process of preparing a food by soaking and storing it in a brine (salt) or vinegar solution, a process which can preserve otherwise perishable foods for months. If the food contains sufficient moisture a pickling brine may be produced simply by adding dry salt. Some pickling forms, most notably Korean Kim Chi, salt the vegetables to draw out excess water, then allow natural fermentation of the vegetable to create a vinegar-like solution. Unlike the canning process, pickling does not require the food to be made completely sterile before it is sealed. The acidity or salinity of the solution makes it an environment in which bacteria or fungi do not easily grow. Pickling began as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea. Salt pork and salt beef were common staples for sailors before the days of steam engines. Although the process was originally used to preserve foods, pickling is frequently done because people enjoy the resulting flavor.
Although the word pickle is often used by Americans to refer specifically to pickled gherkins ( cucumbers), many other foods are commonly pickled, especially in Asian cuisines.
Fruits are generally pickled in high-sugar or solutions with spices such as cinnamon.
Foods that are pickled include:
- vegetables: onions, cabbage (to make sauerkraut and kimchi), cauliflower, ginger, pepperSee also Chilli pepper Peppers Chiles Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Asteridae Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus Capsicum Species C. annuum (Bell pepper,s ( chilli pepperSee also Capsicum Thailand The chilli pepper (also chili or chile from Nahuatl chilli is the fruit of the plant Capsicum a relative of the tomato in the nightshade family Solanaceae . Cultivated since prehistoric times in Peru and Mexico, it was discovere: banana peppers, jalapeņos, etc.), mushroomA mushroom is an above ground fruiting body (that is, a spore-producing structure) of a fungus, having a shaft and a cap; and by extension, the entire fungus producing the fruiting body of such appearance, the former consisting of a network (called the mys, lotus root, garlicGarlic Allium sativum is a bulbous perennial food plant of the family Alliaceae. The word comes to us from Old English grleac meaning "spear leek". Because of its wide cultivation, its origins are uncertain; it has been traced to both southwest Siberia an, beetA beet (called beetroot in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, as well as table beet, garden beet, blood turnip or red beet) is a plant of the genus Beta of which both the leaves and root are edible. There are many varieties. The word beet often rs, okraOkra Abelmoschus esculentus , is a mallow plant. It grows fibrous pods full of round white seeds, which when picked young, are eaten as a vegetable. It was formerly considered a species of Hibiscus. The word okra is of african origin. How to Grow Okra Okr
- fruit: mango, plum, kumquat, lemon, watermelon rind
- meat: beef (to make corned beef and pastrami), pork, ham
- fish: herring
- eggs
See also : Food preservation
Cooking techniques
