Pickling
Preserving food through brine or vinegar, pickling extends shelf life and creates distinctive flavors.
Last updated
Perishable foods can be preserved for months or years through pickling, which employs highly acidic solutions (pH 4.6 or below) and elevated salt levels to inhibit enzyme activity and microbial proliferation.[1]
Last updated 2026-10-03 from the source article.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Ancient Persia and Mesopotamia, around 2400 BCE
- Earliest archaeological evidence
- Cucumbers pickled in the Tigris Valley, 2030 BCE
- Key preservation methods
- Anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar
- Common antimicrobial additives
- Mustard seed
- garlic
- cinnamon
- cloves
- English term first appears
- Around 1400 CE
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The English term "pickle" first appears around 1400 CE, originating from the Middle English pikel, a spicy sauce served with meat or fish, borrowed from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German pekel ("brine").[2] Pickling was used to preserve food for long sea voyages, with salt pork and salt beef being common staples for sailors.[3] Evidence indicates that vinegar-based pickling probably began in ancient Persia and Mesopotamia circa 2400 BCE, with archaeological finds showing cucumbers were pickled in the Tigris Valley by 2030 BCE.[4] The earliest documented origins of fermented salt pickling are in China, as indicated by a poem from approximately the 7th century BCE.[5][6]
Lactic acid bacteria naturally ferment foods at room temperature, generating the necessary acidity for certain pickles.[7] Lactobacillus plantarum takes over at higher temperatures, mainly producing lactic acid.[7] A succession often occurs in many pickles: Leuconostoc species initiate the process, and as acidity rises, Lactobacillus species become dominant.[7] The nutritional value of food may be enhanced by pickling, as bacteria introduce B vitamins during the process.[3]
What the cited sources add
A 2003 open-access paper in Applied and Environmental Microbiology studied antimicrobial effects of mustard flour and acetic acid against foodborne pathogens.[8][1]
References
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pickle Bill Fact Sheet", 13 March 2008; Davidson, "The Oxford companion to food", Oxford University Press, 2014; Elkus, "How Do You Know When It's Time to Throw Out Pickles?", Epicurious, 3 January 2023; Rhee, "Antimicrobial effects of mustard flour and acetic acid against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium", Appl Environ Microbiol, 2003, p. 2959–63 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davison, "Pickles: A Global History", Reaktion Books, May 15, 2018; "pickle Etymology, origin and meaning of pickle by etymonline", www.etymonline.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Science of Pickles: Fascinating Pickle Facts – Exploratorium", Exploratorium: the museum of science, art and human perception (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Trivedi-Grenier, "A world tour of pickles in the Bay Area and how to make them", San Francisco Chronicle, 2019-07-26; Pruitt, "The Juicy 4,000-Year History of Pickles", HISTORY, August 7, 2019; Avey, "History in a Jar: The Story of Pickles", pbs.org, 3 September 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davison, "Pickles: A Global History", Reaktion Books, May 15, 2018; Trivedi-Grenier, "A world tour of pickles in the Bay Area and how to make them", San Francisco Chronicle, 2019-07-26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davison, "Pickles: A global history", Reaktion Books, May 15, 2018; Davison, "Pickles: A global history", Reaktion Books, May 15, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pickling" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Scribner, pp. 291–296. . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Min Suk Rhee, "Antimicrobial Effects of Mustard Flour and Acetic Acid against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes , and Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium", Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2003), doi:10.1128/aem.69.5.2959-2963.2003. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Pickling (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Also in the Codexery
More in Fermented Foods
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Pickling (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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