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5 FUN PICKLE FACTS THAT’LL LEAVE YOU PUCKERED

By Michael Emeleus
Published November 25, 2021
Updated November 25, 2021
2 Comments

Read Time: 10min

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National Pickle Day has passed and Pickle Week is a few months away, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t be celebrating these wondrous things year round. Please check out our recent pickle post here if you haven’t already. Now crack open a jar of your faves and let’s take a peek in the “Pickle Trunk” together to see what fun pickle facts float within. (That was for any Mr. Dressup fans out there.)

KOOLICKLES

Aaah, portmanteau words. From smog to brunch to bromance to hangry, we at The Hungry Herald are up for a finely fused frankenword any time of the day. In the spirit of Brangelina, we thus bring you today’s feature: the Koolickle. That’s Kool-Aid and pickle just to be clear.

Hailing from the Mississippi Delta and with a nebulous history, Koolickles are pickles whose natural brinevironment has been altered by the addition of Kool-Aid and sugar, and which are then left to bathe in said concoction for about a week. The end result is a sweet and sour, technicolor, summer bbq conversation piece that the kids are sure to love. Pretty sure.

All flavours of Kool-Aid are welcome in Koolickling. The red ones tend to be the most popular, while the green ones boast a special radioactive hue that may have you feeling like you’re snacking while inside a cartoon.

Although you probably won’t see them on the shelves of your local convenience store or featured as the dessert of the day on any nearby menus, Koolickles are as easy to prepare as the name suggests. There is of course the original recipe, which involves just dipping a pickle in Kool-Aid powder like a straight-up barbarian, but this will probably leave your guests significantly less impressed.

So if you want the backyard accolades, check this out when you’re ready to “Oh Yeah!” your pickles.

Kool Aid Man Oh Yeah GIFfrom Kool Aid Man GIFs

PEPPERMINT STICKLES

Speaking of candied augmentation, another sweet ‘n’ wild riff on pickles exists out there that also seems to trace its roots to the deep south. A practice popular on Chicago’s South Side is the insertion of a peppermint stick — as in a hookless candy cane — lengthwise through the middle of a pickle (preferably individually wrapped). One then snacks on it as the mintiness infuses throughout. We have yet to try this, but our tastebuds’ imaginations are running wild in several outlandish directions at the thought.

To those in the know, it’s one of those special, mysterious traditions, passed on from kid to kid while growing up — the how, where and why not nearly as important as the experience itself.

The pickle of choice for this carnivalesque creation is Van Holten’s. A popular brand in Chicago, they are the purveyors of the “Pickle-In-A-Pouch” format which decidedly facilitates peppermint stickling. The company at one point tried to take this local tradition a little further, indeed too far, when they came out with a peppermint-flavoured pickle. Yeah…

The overall response led to the abandonment of the initiative as well as an understanding on the company’s part that some things are enjoyed not merely for the flavour, but for the very act of combining two things together. Although we haven’t yet tried a peppermint stick pickle, we can certainly see the satisfaction involved in cheerfully tunneling a spirally candy spear through juicy pickle flesh. Gotta be fun.

According to a 2017 article in The Chicago Tribune — one of the deepest dives out there on the subject — the peppermint stick pickle goes back to at least 1940. A tradition that spread through African American communities, it may have first appeared in the Mississippi Delta (where pickles and peppermint sticks are quite common), ultimately reaching Chicago. Along the way, in 1983, a song even popped up recorded by a little-known musician from Nebraska named Vernon Garnett, entitled “Dill Pickle & Peppermint Stick”. Super suggestive lyrics, you’ve been warned.

Whatever their exact beginnings, these things have our attention, and we’re already looking at Christmas candy canes in a whole new, much tangier light. Assuming we muster up the courage to try one, we’re thinking of leaving the hook on for some built-in handle action.

PICKLE JUICE FOR VICTORY

They say Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were both strong proponents of the virtues of pickles for keeping their troops vigorous and ass-kicking on the battlefield. Eventually, this attitude would find its way onto the football field as well.

On September 3, 2000, the upstart Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Dallas Cowboys 41-14 in what was reported to be the hottest — as in temperature — in NFL history. The alleged recipe for success? Pickle juice. Not juiced pickles, to be clear, but the brine in which they sleep.

Just before what came to be known as the “Pickle Juice Game”, players were directed by Eagles’ trainer Rick Burkholder to down some pickle juice before hitting the turf, which was allegedly sizzling away at 150 ℉ (65℃)! The pickled players seemed comparatively fresher and more energized throughout the game than their adversaries, while all around managing to avoid cramping. The Eagles’ victory was roundly credited to the magic potion, leading defensive end Hugh Douglas to enthusiastically claim, “I may start drinking pickle juice when I’m just sitting home chilling.”

Philadelphia Eagles GIFfrom Philadelphia GIFs

The electrolytic virtues of the sodium and potassium in pickle juice are factors to be considered here, but a study done at Brigham Young University points to another component. It involved college students on exercise bikes pedalling straight to “Crampville”, who were then given either deionized water or juice strained from a good old jar of Vlasic’s. The pickle portion of the study did remarkably better in terms of cramping. Researchers concluded that this may be due to the vinegar in the juice acting on nervous-system receptors in a way that inhibits the mechanisms causing cramps.

The science around this is still unclear, but whatever the case, it probably couldn’t hurt to take a little hit from the pickle jar before that next squash game, Zumba class or fight club meeting. There are even “pickle juice” energy drinks available these days, although there don’t seem to be any actual pickles involved. Now in “extra strength”! No joke.

NEXT STOP, PICKLESBURGH!

It has come to our attention that pickle-induced heroics are not exclusively reserved for the fields of battle and football. In the fair town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at a very special time of year, if you drink a copious amount of pickle juice in just the right amount of time, you can become mayor. Mayor of Picklesburgh.

Since 2015, the “City of Bridges” has played host to Picklesburgh, a festival so unapologetically devoted to the pickle that it consistently features a 35-foot Heinz specimen in balloon form, floating above the crowd. Several days of sweet and sour revelry await you at Picklesburgh, the main event being the Pickle Juice Drinking Contest, a showdown between a panel of masochistic, aluminum-stomached, T-shirt-clad gladiators, all vying for the honour of becoming mayor of the whole thing.

How does one get “in office”, you ask? Simple. The participant is presented with a jar containing roughly one quart of pickle juice, which they must then chug as fast as their little souls will allow. Excessive spillage and/or regurgitation are grounds for disqualification, as is any unsportsmanlike behaviour. We shudder to think what kind of juiced-up shenanigans have gone on in the past at this event because really, you never know what the brine might do to you.

The person who chug-a-lugs best is declared, by a selection of distinguished judges, Mayor of Picklesburgh (details of mandate unclear), and is thanked for their service with a cash prize of $500. Just enough to cover the antacid costs.

As exciting as all of that is, make sure to check out the many amazing food and drink vendors that tie Picklesburgh together. We’re talking everything from kimchi grilled cheese to dill pickle pierogies to pickle fudge pops. A Pickle Paloma to wash it all down? It’s what the mayor would want.

STEP AWAY FROM THE JAR AND SHOW US THE BOUNCE

Have you ever opened a fresh jar of pickles and then checked for quality by letting one fall to the kitchen floor to see if it bounces? Neither have we. But legend has it that if you do, and it doesn’t bounce, and you find yourself in Connecticut, you might be standing in the middle of a crime scene.

A cursory search of interesting facts about pickles on the internet will undoubtedly lead you to the recurring claim that there is a law in Connecticut that states that a pickle must bounce to be considered a pickle. The thing is, there’s no indication of such a law anywhere, a vexing situation that eventually led reference librarians at the Connecticut State Library to pool their resources and get to the bottom of the bounce.

Jumping Pickles National Pickle Day Stickerfrom Jumping Pickles Stickers

The investigation led to a 1948 article in the Hartford Courant detailing the arrest of some pretty shady pickle packers. Sidney Sparer and Moses Dexler were apparently caught by authorities trying to pass off some sub-par pickles on an unsuspecting public. Laboratory testing was conducted, but what really stuck was an unusual statement made by Frederick Holcomb, the Connecticut Food and Drug Commissioner at the time.

He claimed that in addition to lab testing, another test was done to reach the verdict of guilty. According to Holcomb, for a pickle to be fit for human consumption, it needs to bounce when dropped from a height of one foot. Sparer and Dexler’s pickles did not. They were fined the maximum penalty at the time for their crime, 500$, and their poor pickles were summarily trashed.

What rigorous science led to the idea of the bounce test is unclear, but once the strange claim was made and the perpetrators fined, people just figured that there was a law. There isn’t. So next time you see someone bouncing kosher dills across the linoleum, tell them they can forget the lawsuit. Try hot coffee instead.

IF YOU PICKLE IT, THEY WILL COME

We remember a time when we thought pickled watermelon rinds were a bit “out there”. For the record, they’re perfectly normal, a great way to keep picnic waste to a minimum and the internet is bursting with recipes for them, so get rinding. There are, however, far less natural things hiding in the underbrine, and we just wanted to quickly fire a few oddities your way before we go. Think of this as a kind of pickled loot bag.

Chocolate-covered pickle-stuffed Oreos. Pickle cotton candy. Pickle ice cream, freezer pops and slush. Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwich Twinkies. Pickle soda. Pickle beer. Pickle-flavoured vodka. Pickle whiskey. Pickle brine in a can if you just want to get straight to the point. Sandwiches where the bread is pickles. Pickle Doritos.

Ok, that last one is pretty straightforward, but speaking of Doritos, you should know that they recently teamed up with Mountain Dew to make, you guessed it: Mountain Dew-flavoured Doritos. If this doesn’t scare you, back in 2014, the roles were most disturbingly reversed and a product by the name of “DEWitos” was tested on students at undisclosed colleges. Again, you guessed it: Doritos-flavoured Mountain Dew. More like “Mountain Don’t”. Although it was mercifully discontinued, we hope those kids are alright. That being said, we’ll just stick with the pickle stuff, thank you very much.

Michael Emeleus

Michael is a freelance writer, translator, purveyor of English lessons and Taichi enthusiast who has been following food ever since his dad fed him caviar one Christmas when he was a toddler, and he tried to grab the spoon. He has written and translated for renowned restaurant guidebook Gault & Millau, and has dishwashed, bussed, bartended and served his way through three action-packed decades in the Montreal restaurant scene. He likes walks on the beach, the smell of gasoline and taking pictures of plants, and he is also pretty much guaranteed to order the most challenging thing on the menu.

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Dill Pickles in Jars National Pickle Day

FOR THE LOVE OF PICKLES: A BIG BARREL OF HISTORY

By Michael Emeleus
Published November 14, 2021
Updated November 14, 2021
No Comments

Read Time: 10min

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Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers; A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”

- “Peter Piper” by John Harris

Yeah, that’s what we’d like to know. Where’s that peck, Peter? What the pickled hell is a peck anyway? And is pickle cotton candy really a thing? (Yes.)

These are the kinds of questions that have us at The Hungry Herald all dilled-up and briny right now, because today, dear readers, is November 14th, National Pickle Day. So run to the fridge and grab that jar you forgot you had (don’t worry, the contents are most forgiving), strap yourself in, and let’s all take a ride together straight on down to Pickle Town.

With the blessing of the delightfully named Pickle Packers International association, this day has been observed in the US on varying dates since 1949. There’s even a Pickle Week, involving a host of activities including mirthful yet retch-inducing pickle juice drinking contests. The festivities occur around the end of May so rest assured, we’ll see you again in the spring.

Although technically a US thing, as far as we’re concerned this pickle party should go super sonic. In fact, our enthusiasm is such that while working on this post, many crunchy “baby dills” were cheerfully consumed, so if you look real close you may see a pickle stain on your screen. Apologies.

PECKS AND IMPOSSIBLE PEPPERS

So before we get into the dill weeds, let’s get back to Peter. By the way, there will be a significant amount of verbal pickle play in this article, some of it half-assed, some of it hopefully mildly entertaining, all of it absolutely necessary. You’ve been warned, dill with it.

Pickle Dill With It GIFfrom Pickle GIFs

And now for the question you’ve always been too shy to ask or maybe didn’t even realize you wanted answered or maybe already know the answer to, in which case give yourself a well earned pat on the back. What is this “peck” that Peter Piper picks?

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines a peck as “a unit of dry volume or capacity in the US Customary System equal to 8 quarts or approximately 537.6 cubic inches”. Also known as a ¼ bushel. You’re welcome.

And as for the pickled peppers? Where in the world is Peter picking pre-pickled produce? That’s some seriously revolutionary horticulture. If for real, by skipping the pickling process entirely, Peter’s business model would have left the likes of Bicks, Vlasic and Heinz in the dust long ago. So yeah, still waiting for proof of that peck. Ok, lest we get overly peckish and peter out, let’s move things along.

IT’S BRINE TIME

From the Middle Dutch pekel meaning “brine”, or the related German pökel, the word pickle has that special semantic distinction of referring to both verb and noun, the process and the thing being processed. So what’s involved in pickling a pickle and how long have we been doing it?

The virtues of pickling as a means to preserve food were recognised way back; the method most likely originated in ancient Mesopotamia, circa 2400 BC. The poster child of all things pickled, the cucumber, made its debut in India and its pickling can be traced to the Tigris Valley, around 2030 BC.

Simply put, pickling is preserving food by virtue of immersion in either a vinegar-based solution or a brine, although a food with a high water content can be pickled with the simple addition of salt.

On the one hand we have vinegar. Its acetic acid content ensures that any microbes that can cause spoilage are given no chance at survival as bacteria want absolutely nothing to do with highly acidic environments. When it comes to pickling, we’re generally talking a pH of less than 4.5, so pucker up buttercup.

On the other hand, we have brine. In generously salted water, the acids that preserve the food in question are generated by beneficial bacteria in a process known as lacto-fermentation. Lactobacillus bacteria eat away at carbohydrates on the surface of whatever you place in the brine, resulting in the production of lactic acid. This makes the salty water progressively acidic, again bad news for bad bacteria. And good news for not only the shelf life of your favourite veggie but also for your gut. The beneficial bacteria involved contain all kinds of health-promoting goodies.

The addition of spices and aromatics like garlic, mustard seeds, cloves and even cinnamon to solutions was adopted early on in pickling history as they in turn boast antimicrobial properties, aiding in the overall goal of tasty preservation. Dill, also antimicrobial and with a very rich history (it’s been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs), would eventually become such a friend to the pickle as to be almost synonymous with it.

THE PICKLE FAIRY AND A FUN FACT

There are, of course, too many pickled delights out there to count. Old-school Hungarian pickles fermented in the sun, tarragon-infused French cornichons, vibrant Middle Eastern pickled turnips, Japanese gari, or pickled ginger, the preserved lemons of Morocco known as l’hamd markad, Indian pickled mango and the beautiful Italian medley that is giardiniera, just to name a few.

Indeed, the Pickle Fairy (trademark pending) has an extensive and diversified portfolio, sprinkling her pickle dust on a vast array of potential foodstuffs, however our discussion will be focused on, but not limited to, the cucumber. That being said, please keep in mind all the wonders of the pickleverse as we continue, from herring to kimchi, to sauerkraut to the tavern egg.

Fun fact while we’re here: although undeniably an all-star of German cuisine, sauerkraut is said to have originated in China. Over 2000 years ago, workers on the Great Wall regularly ate a dish known as suan cai (酸菜), or “sour vegetable”, made of sliced cabbage that had been fermented in rice wine. The practice eventually found its way to Europe courtesy of the Tatars, who ditched the wine for salt, but it wasn’t until the 16th century that this approach to cabbage would become firmly adopted in the West.

PICKLE NAME DROP

So it turns out that any discussion of pickles and pickling is an unexpected exercise in name dropping. We’re talking big names. Aristotle, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Columbus, Vespucci, Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare, George Washington, Matthew McConaughey. Each and every one of them, tickled pickle. With respect to that last one, his Instagram profile features “Pickle Expert” among other things as a descriptor, although there is scant evidence to support such a claim. Whatever the case, his enthusiasm is alright, alright, alright with us.

via GIPHY

A GLITZY WHO’S WHO OF THE PICKLED KIND

Herodotus, known as “The Father of History”, wrote in the 5th century BC of how the ancient Egyptians ate fish that was preserved in brine. Aristotle was a big fan of the nutritional benefits and healing potential of pickles and advocated for their inclusion in a healthy diet.

Cleopatra is said to have been convinced of the health and beauty-promoting qualities of pickled cucumbers, while Julius Caesar, among other Roman emperors, fed pickles to his troops in the interests of enhancing their strength and prowess on the battlefield.

Centuries later, Napoleon, who also had a relish for pickles, would offer up 12 000 francs (around $250 000 today) to anyone who could come up with a safe, reliable way to preserve rations, pickled or otherwise, so that he could keep his troops munching and crunching their way to victory. The winner, a chef, confectioner and inventor by the name of Nicolas Appert, discovered that foods sealed in an airtight container and then immersed in boiling water for several hours would not decompose. He ultimately became known as “The Father of Canning”.

Another famous general, George Washington, was decidedly pickle-keen as well. Legend has it that his interest in pickling led him to amass a collection of 476 varieties of cucumbers in his gardens for that purpose, although this number seems a little wild to us… If you can confirm this, feel free to let us know.

AMERICA'S CHANDLER

Rewind a little. During the age of exploration, pickled foods were an absolute must, not only for preventing the scourge that was scurvy on trans-Atlantic voyages, but for bestowing nutritional benefits that dried foods alone could not.

Amerigo Vespucci, before he set off to explore in his own right, worked as a ship chandler for a time, stocking ships with supplies and essentials including a variety of pickled products. American essayist and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson — who was famously irked by Vespucci’s legacy, namely that the Americas were named after him — derisively described him centuries later as “the pickle-dealer at Seville”. Emerson’s frustrations aside, pickle mongers like Vespucci were indispensable in helping keep crews alive on these initial voyages.

Thus, explorers like Christopher Columbus — who Vespucci supplied on his later trips — never left port without filling their holds with pickles when possible. They were so valued that Columbus reportedly grew cucumbers on a stopover in Haiti during one of his voyages in order to have a fresh supply of pickles before continuing on. This was the cucumber’s port of entry into the New World.

HOW WE GOT IN A PICKLE

The list of pickle people doesn’t end there. Queen Elizabeth I was apparently a big fan and while she was snacking away, Shakespeare was flavouring his plays with well fermented little references. The Bard, the inventor of more commonly used expressions in the English language than you can shake a pickle spear at (sorry, had to), is widely credited with coming up with the phrase “in a pickle”, as in being in a difficult situation. In its original occurrence however, the phrase had more to do with being piss drunk than finding oneself in a bind.

In The Tempest, King Alonso’s butler Stephano and his jester Trinculo are shipwrecked and have been drinking non-stop from a barrel of wine that Stephano had previously clung to for dear life. Later, when they find themselves with Alonso, the king notices how shit-faced his jester is and asks him straight up:

“How came’st thou in this pickle?”

The reply:

“I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, I will never out of my bones. I shall not fear flyblowing.”

In other words, he’s so pickled with booze that even when he dies the maggots won’t want anything to do with him. He’ll be preserved just fine, thank you very much.

SAD PICKLES

The expression would soon take on increasingly negative connotations, referring to any difficult situation one might find oneself in. Famed diarist Samuel Pepys complained to his diary in 1660 that he was “at home with the workmen all the afternoon, our house being in a most sad pickle.”

Lord Byron would later echo this sentiment in his own way in Don Juan:

“The Turkish batteries thrash’d them like a flail, Or a good boxer, into a sad pickle.”

The downright unpleasant feelings conjured by the Dutch idiom in de pekel zitten, meaning “to sit in the pickle brine”, undoubtedly contributed to the souring of the phrase. Incidentally, in baseball, if you’re “in a pickle” you’re caught between two bases and your ass is ripe for tagging out.

That such a beloved thing as the pickle should end up the main player in an expression about hard times is most unfortunate and undeserved, but, whaddya gonna do.

STREET BARRELS AND THE KOSHER DILL

In the 1650’s, Dutch farmers around the area that is Brooklyn today began growing cucumbers on a large scale. These were then sold to dealers who pickled them in barrels and then sold them right on the street.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to New York City from Eastern Europe, where pickled vegetables had been a valued dietary staple for generations. With them they brought a traditional knack for pickling. Their “pickle de résistance” was the kosher dill, a cucumber fermented in brine loaded with dill and garlic. These days the kosher dill is indeed often kosher, however this is not always the case. Rather, the term has come to signify a pickle done in the traditional style of Jewish New York City pickle makers, aka the classic deli pickle. Whatever you do, don’t skip the garlic.

These beauties were sold from pushcarts in neighbourhoods all over the Lower East Side for next to nothing. At one point, there were said to be over 80 pickle vendors on Essex Street, earning it the nickname “Pickle Alley”, and over 200 vendors across the city as a whole. This early market stall scene was the beginning of New York City’s claim to deli pickle fame.

WHAT’S IN A JAR?

While pickle purveyors were popping up all over, certain innovations on the receptacle front would push the pickle cart further. In 1851 a Scottish chemist named James Young invented paraffin wax, the better to seal jars with and to thwart the spread of botulism. Not long after, in 1858, John L. Mason (you know where this is going) developed and patented the Mason jar. These puppies were made of heavyweight glass that could tolerate the high temperatures involved in commercial pickle processing. Love those things.

ENTER THE HEINZ

The H.J. (as in Henry John) Heinz Company was founded in 1869, their very first product being horseradish, followed by ketchup, then apple butter, pepper sauce and so forth, eventually leading to 57 varieties? Not quite, but nor far off. The 57 was apparently a marketing ploy and a number that Mr. Heinz came up with by sticking his and his wife’s favourite numbers together. He was also curious about the potential psychological effect that the number 7 might have on consumer behaviour. The company eventually found itself selling more than 57 products, nevertheless they stuck with the number because, well, it just worked.

At the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, H.J. “The Pickle King” Heinz sent out some local boys to lure patrons with tokens announcing a mysterious free gift if they went to his out-of-the-way booth to sample his goods. The gift was a free “pickle pin” and by fair’s end, approximately 1 million of the things had been distributed, a marketing strategy that would go down as one of the most successful in U.S. history.

VLASIC, THE PICKLE STORK AND SOME JOKES

Heinz had the pickle market cornered up until the 1970’s when a new kid on the block brought out some pretty big advertising guns. The Vlasic company launched a campaign wherein a cartoon stork who talks like Groucho Marx — complete with a pickle cigar — delivers pickles instead of babies. The ads tapped into the notion that pregnant women crave pickles and their slogan at one point couldn’t have been more clear: “The pickle pregnant women crave.” These and other advertisements featuring the stork apparently worked like a charm, in fact he remains the Vlasic mascot to this day.

Vlasik Pickles GIFfrom Vlasik GIFs

GET YOUR PICKLE ON AND TUNE IN NEXT TIME

Yes, Big Pickle is everywhere, but there are some pretty great things going on on the artisanal front these days. Check out the outstanding pickle packers straight outta Brooklyn known as Brooklyn Brine to get an idea of what’s out there.

We’ve merely chipped away at the very tip of the pickleberg, but you might already be in possession of more information than Matthew McConaughey at this point. There’s really no way to know. That being said, we invite you to celebrate National Pickle Day whichever way you choose. Go hog wild at your local deli, kick back with kimchi, gulp down some gherkins, stick one on a stick then deep fry dip it, kool down with a Koolickle or just vodka pickle shoot your way to big briny bliss. Do what you gotta do, you choose pickle dude.

Please check out our follow-up post: a Hungry Herald-chauffeured, fun fact-filled trip through the often surprising underbrine of Pickle Town. See y’all real soon.