Happy National Pickle Day! Today recognizes the tart, sometimes sweet, and even spicy pickle.
Each year on November 14, pickle lovers pop open pecks of their preferred preserved pickle.
It may be a dill, gherkin, cornichon, brined, kosher dill, Polish, Hungarian, lime, bread and butter, Swedish and Danish, or Kool-Aid Pickle.
No matter your choice, eat them all day long.
The term "pickle" comes from the Dutch word pekel, meaning brine. In the United States, the word pickle typically refers to a pickled cucumber. However, just about any fruit or vegetable can be pickled.
The process typically starts with a blanching process, depending on the fruit or vegetable.
After this, the product is packed into jars with seasonings that will give the pickles flavor. They can be spicy, tart, or sweet.
However, the tartness and sweetness come from the brine. A basic brine includes vinegar and water. Various amounts of sugar adjust the level of sweetness in the brine.
Pickle Facts
Each year in the United States, 5,200,000 pounds of pickles are consumed.
While pickles can be high in sodium, they are a good source of vitamin K. In moderation, they make a great snack.
• Food vendors sometimes serve pickles on a stick at fairs or carnivals. They are known as stick pickles.
• A rising trend in the United States is deep-fried pickles. The pickle is wrapped in dough or dipped in breading and deep-fried.- • The popularity of the pickle dates back thousands of years to 2030 B.C. At that time, traders imported cucumbers from India to the Tigris Valley. Here the people first preserved and ate the cucumbers as pickles.
- • Cleopatra attributed her good looks to her diet of pickles.
- • Even Julius Caesar craved the benefits of pickles. He believed pickles lent physical and spiritual strength and gave them to his troops.
Snack on a pickle to celebrate, but don’t stop there. This snack is multipurpose. They make delicious additions to salads and sandwiches.
Grind them up and make a relish. Experimenting with pizza? Top it with some pickles.
If your Sloppy Joe is missing a little zing, add some pickles. While not everything is better with pickles (ice cream?), a little experimentation goes a long way with pickles.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Try tasting pickled carrots, cauliflower or watermelon. Even some proteins are pickled, such as eggs.
What’s your favorite kind of pickle? Sweet, spicy, dill? Let National Day Calendar® know by using #NationalPickleDay and posting on social media.
Educators, visit the National Day Calendar® Classroom for project ideas, puzzles and more to use in your classroom.
HISTORY
While this holiday has been celebrated for seventy years on various days, National Day Calendar® has not identified the founder of the day.
However, in 1949, the first observance began with encouragement from the Pickle Packers Association.
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