Calling the culinary historians! Pickles

[thecuriousone]

Hello All-

What purpose did pickles serve in a meal? I can remember my grand mother never considering her table properly set when guests were coming unless there were some pickles on the table. What purpose did pickles play and when were they most important? Were offering pickled vegetables on the table a southern thing that made its way north?

I can understand from a food preservation standpoint the purpose of pickling, but did pickles serve to counterpoint the blandness of other food? Were pickles precursors to hot sauces? Did pickles help dress up left overs or mask food which was nearing the end of its freshness?

I'd appreciate any info you can offer. The table routines of the early 1900's seem like such a mystery to me.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Some possible answers may be found here:

Mt Olive pickle history

or

NY Food Museum

Roman emperors, among them Julius Caesar, fed pickles to their troops in the belief that they lent physical and spiritual strength. ... Ancient Sources not only refer to the nutrional benefits of pickles, but claim that they have long been considered a beauty aid. Cleopatra attributed her good looks to a hearty diet of pickles.

so, take your pick(le) .. for beauty or for strength .. Edited October 28, 2006 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[The Old Foodie]

Hello All-

What purpose did pickles serve in a meal?  I can remember my grand mother never considering her table properly set when guests were coming  unless there were some pickles on the table.  What purpose did pickles play and when were they most important?  Were offering pickled vegetables on the table a southern thing that made its way north?

I can understand from a food preservation standpoint the purpose of pickling, but did pickles serve to counterpoint the blandness of other food?  Were pickles precursors to hot sauces?  Did pickles help dress up left overs or mask food which was nearing the end of its freshness?

I'd appreciate any info you can offer.  The table routines of the early 1900's seem like such a mystery to me.

←

The primary purpose was to preserve produce (remember, no fridges or freezers) - and if you have a lot of pickled or preserved produce, you find extra ways of justifying its use, so all of the other "reasons" are secondary.

The idea of pickles giving strength to the troops would probably have been because there were a lot of pickles available when not much else was, so there may have been a propaganda element to the troops. Plus, in olden times, inferences were drawn from the character of the food - so a long-lived, well preserved food might suggest that those characteristics would be transferred to the eater.

In the case of proud housewives such as your grandmother - having an abundance of well-made pickles would signify skill at housekeeping and cookery. Of course, if you grow up eating pickles with every meal, you end up feeling that a meal is not complete without pickles, so iti is a sort of circular explanation.

I have absolutely no idea why it is a particularly big thing in the South, as you suggest. The answer is probably a blend of the origin of the settlers (their own food preferences and history), and what grew well in the climate where they settled. In some parts of England it would probably be pickled beetroot, in some parts of Asia it is pickled cabbage and so on.

I look forward to other comments.

[highchef]

They serve a medical purpose as well. Vinegar is a natural topical anti-biotic..at least that's what my podiatrist tells me. It can dissolve hard water deposits (ever use it to clean your coffee maker?) so some believe it can help keep your cardio vascular system clear as well as assist in removing deposits from joints and flushing them out of the body.

After my uncle had a series of heart attacks, a very well known cardiologist told him to eat a pickle after everymeal. He said it aided digestion, but did not go into the whys and hows. after hearing about the cleansing effect that is attributed to vinegar perhaps pickles are a win/win combination?? I like pickles, so I err on the side of caution..

When we moved to this house, there was an old lady next door who swore by vinegar. She drank it, wrapped wounds in it. Cleaned with it. She died at 99. Was well known for her pickles. Coincidence?

[gariotin]

I agree w/The Old Foodie - in Mark Kurlansky's book on Salt, he discusses the process of pickling as hugely important in preserving vegetables before the availability of refrigeration.

I have a great pickle memory - several years ago I was the chaperone on my daughter's chorus trip to Eastern Europe. We were staying in a hostel in Prague and the food was pretty bad. Actually, that is being kind. The food was pretty much inedible. The kitchen workers kept telling us that we would have a special treat for Easter dinner. Visions of a real meal, maybe with ham and potatoes danced through our minds. When the big meal arrived, it was goulash that looked, smelled, and tasted like dog food. The vegetable accompaniment was a HUGE, I mean GINORMOUS bowl of pickles! Actually I found the pickles to be far superior to the goulash.

[andiesenji]

Although pickling had been discovered in ancient times, when sailors began sailing very long distances, they found pickles prevented scurvy.

as noted here.

Mostly, it was used to preserve foods through periods when fresh vegetables were not available.

The ancient Egyptians had what were essentially pickle factories, and probably the peoples of Crete, Greece and later Rome, learned from them. In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt there is evidence that they pickled the rinds of melons, otherwise inedible.

Funny that thousands of years later watermelon pickles would become so popular in the American south.

Edited October 29, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[Mikeb19]

Hello All-

What purpose did pickles serve in a meal?  I can remember my grand mother never considering her table properly set when guests were coming  unless there were some pickles on the table.  What purpose did pickles play and when were they most important?  Were offering pickled vegetables on the table a southern thing that made its way north?

←

I do know that in Ukrainian meals theres always some pickles on the table... I think it has mostly to do with food storage. I remember eating 5 year old pickles that were still incredibly tasty...

[SheenaGreena]

don't know if this is historically accurate or not, but they seem to cleanse the palate really well.