pickle
To preserve food in brine, vinegar, or another acid, which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria through high acidity or salinity.
Pickling can be achieved either through fermentation (which produces its own acid) or by directly submerging food in an acidic solution like vinegar.
Word relationships
- preserve: 'Preserve' is the general category, while 'pickle' is the specific method using acid or salt water.
- marinate: 'Marinate' is done briefly for flavor before cooking, while 'pickle' is done long-term for preservation.
Commonly confused with
- ferment: Some pickles are fermented (like traditional dill pickles), but many are 'quick pickles' made simply by adding hot vinegar, which involves no microbial fermentation.
Word family
- pickled (adjective): Preserved in vinegar or brine.
- pickling (noun): The process of preserving food in brine or acid.
Collocations
- pickle cucumbers
- quick pickle
- sweet pickle
Idioms & expressions
- in a pickle
Example sentences
- "If you pickle the red onions in red wine vinegar, they will turn a beautiful bright pink and lose their harsh bite." A recipe instruction for quick condiments.
- "Sailors relied on the ship's cook to pickle beef in heavy brine to keep it from rotting during multi-month voyages." A historical note on maritime diets.
Memory hook
Picture a 'prickly' green cucumber getting dropped into a jar to become a pickle. Pickle with vinegar to make the flavor linger.
When not to use
Do not use for preserving methods that do not involve acid or salt solutions, such as simple freezing.
Fun facts
- Cleopatra attributed her beauty to a diet rich in pickles, and Julius Caesar made his soldiers eat them to build physical strength.
Explore more words
fermentation, preserve, salinity, preservation, submerge, sous-vide
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