The Ancient Art of Pickling Is Used Across the Globe

by Ryan Felix, age 12

       Pickling is an interesting and ancient process. Pickles come in many different types, shapes and sizes.
       You can find pickled foods just about anywhere in the world. For example, pickling is used to make salted duck eggs in China, kimchi in Korea and even salsa in Mexico. There are many different forms of pickles sold in supermarkets and grocery stores.
       Pickling is an ancient method; it has been around for thousands of years. It was developed before the age of refrigeration because it allowed food to be preserved over long winters or during famine.
       There are two basic methods of pickling: soaking foods in vinegar and fermenting them in salt brine. Because vinegar is a strong acid, few bacteria are able to survive, so pickled foods last a long time. Salt brine helps the growth of good bacteria and helps prevent the growth of bad bacteria that would cause the food to spoil. Salt brine pickles foods in a process called, fermentation. Both methods keep food from spoiling, and give it a unique sour taste.
       Two thousand years ago workers on the Great Wall of China ate sauerkraut, a kind of pickled cabbage. Pickles are clearly a very diverse food.  

[Source: www.exploratorium.edu]