Dill pickles, also known simply as pickles, are fairly easy to make and a staple food in many cuisines around the world. To make them, a vegetable — often but not always cucumbers — are fermented in salt water or vinegar, along with a variety of spices, including dill. They were historically popular in areas where cold winters prevented the residents from obtaining fresh vegetables after summer. Cucumbers are the most popular type of vegetable used to make pickles, but others are used depending on local availability.
People eat pickles as a snack, on sandwiches and hamburgers, or as an add-on to salads or hot meals. Different cultures pickle different vegetables. In East Asia, people pickle turnips and radish, while mushrooms and eggplant are popular in Russia. Pickled onions are popular in England, and bell peppers are a typical pickled dish in Romania.
Dill pickles are basically made by fermenting the vegetable in a mix of water and salt, or, alternatively, in vinegar. Both mixes produce a slightly different product that will stay edible for a long period of time. Because the mix has a pH of 4.6 or less, bacteria cannot survive, helping the vegetable last longer. Different add-ons produce different results, including changes in color and consistency; adding grape leaves to the containers, for example, can preserve crunchiness.
Mixes to prepare pickles are now available for sale in most supermarkets, and they are designed to make the process easier. Simmering the mix in water and then adding the pickles once the mix is back to room temperature is all that a home cooks needs to do. Pickle mixes are available in a variety of flavors, including sweet, hot, extra sour, and Kosher dill. Dill pickle recipes require need some type of dill to add to the mix, and fresh dill, dry herbs, or dill seed can be used. Not matter what type of mix used, once the pickles have been canned in the liquid, the whole jar should be boiled in water for 5 to 10 minutes. At that point, the pickles are ready to store.
