Pickles and Preserves

Pickles

Pickling was originally used as a way to preserve the summer's harvest and sustain hungry families during the long winter. In these modern times, pickles continue to be popular just because they taste so good.

Image by Waldo Jaquith

Pickles and Preserves Recipes

Acar Ketimun

(Indonesian cucumber pickle)

Pronounced "a-CHAR keh-TEE-moon," this simple, quick pickle is served as a side dish in Indonesia for grilled foods, especially satay ayam. Sometimes spelled atjar or achar. Read more »

Baechu Kimchi

(Korean cabbage pickle)

Kimchi, a strongly flavored and odoriferous pickle, is one of the bedrocks of Korean cuisine. Koreans have been salting vegetables in one form or another for over 1000 years as a way of preserving the harvest to last through the hard Korean winters. Late fall is kimchi-making season, or Kimjang, when great quantities of pickled vegetables are placed in large ceramic pots and buried in the ground to ferment. Read more »

Cebollas Encurtidas

(Ecuadorian, Mexican pickled red onions)

Pickled red onions are the perfect condiment for all kinds of dishes. In Ecuador, these pickles with the purple hue are at their simplest, tossed with lime juice and a pinch of salt and sprinkled over ceviche. Yucatecan-style cebollas encurtidas are more elaborately seasoned and are an essential topping for cochinita pibil. They're also perfect on top of a burger. Sometimes called cebollas en escabeche. Read more »

Gari

(Japanese pickled ginger)

Along with wasabi and soy sauce, gari, also known as sushi ginger, is a traditional accompaniment to makizushi. It is generally eaten between sushi courses as a palate cleanser. Try to use very fresh, young ginger for this recipe so the gari will be as tender as possible. Read more »

Jalapeños en Escabeche

(Mexican pickled jalapeño peppers)

Sliced jalapeños en escabeche are used as a garnish for a variety of Mexican dishes. They can also be chopped and added to soups and stews for an extra punch. Some hardy souls like to munch on them whole. Read more »

Leems

(Moroccan preserved lemons)

Preserved lemons are a common pickle in North Africa, particularly Morocco, where they are known as leems, or country lemons. Their intense lemon flavor is valued as a bright addition to soups, stews and tagines like djej emshmel. Try preserved lemons chopped and tossed in salads or as a condiment for fish or seafood. Read more »

Misozuke

(Japanese miso pickle)

Preserving vegetables in miso is a common way of preparing simple pickles in Japan as an accompaniment to a Japanese meal. Read more »

Pikliz

(Haitian spicy pickled vegetables)

Every Haitian home has a jar of pikliz on hand. Cabbage, carrots, chiles and other vegetables are soaked in vinegar to make a relish similar to American chow-chow or Italian giardiniera. The crunchy salad is served as a side dish at Haitian meals. Flavored vinegar from pikliz is often used in marinades or to give dishes a spicy-sour punch. Read more »