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Making Naturally Pickled Foods

Preserving Food By Pickling

Pickling is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. It involves placing food in an acid environment to prevent undesirable bacteria growth. There are two ways to achieve this acid environment.

One method is by salting food to extract water by osmosis which then dilutes the added acid, usually vinegar. In the case of curing pickles, cucumbers are placed in brine which draws out some of the water and dilutes the added vinegar. They are then stored under conditions to encourage lactic acid producing bacteria growth. Salt and vinegar act together to flavor and create the proper acid environment for further fermentation.

Another method involves salting the food and subjecting it to the proper conditions for desirable bacterial growth. In the case of sauerkraut and kimchi, the cabbage is salted and kept anaerobically (without oxygen) at room temperature until sufficient growth of lactic acid producing bacteria. The water drawn out by the salt combines with and dilutes the lactic acid and forms the pickling brine.