by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: February 24, 2009   Last Updated: March 05, 2009

Considering the various types of pickles available today, gathering an overview on all of them, may easily leave one sort of ...stuck in a pickle. Perhaps, when the word "pickle" is pronounced the first image that comes to mind to most Americans is the notorious Dill pickle. This crunchy variety is the most consumed and the most popular however, even this variety comes with other sub varieties such as the Genuine Dill, the Kosher Dill, the German Dill, the Overnight Dill and the Polish Dill. Already overwhelmed? Well, you may feel better by taking a peek to the many other varieties of pickles.

The traditional pickle is a pickled cucumber. Cucumbers are soaked and stored in vinegar or brine. Historically, pickles are not fairly new, having been produced about 4,400 years ago in Mesopotamia. Even the Greeks and ancient Romans were aware of them and appreciated their healing effects. Nowadays, cucumbers are prepared in a variety of ways and different cucumber specimens produce different pickle varieties. Here are some of the most famous:

Gherkin Pickles

These pickles are relatively small specimens but belong to the same species as the other cucumbers. They are typically up to 3 inches long and produce pickles that are very similar to normal pickles only smaller in size.

Kosher Dill Pickles

These cucumbers were prepared by the Jewish communities of New York City and they typically differ from other pickle varieties for the simple fact that they are preserved in brine with generous amounts of garlic for a strong, distinct flavor.

Bread and Butter Pickles

These pickles are mainly different because they have a sweet typical flavor that make them good additions to potato salads and sandwiches.

Polish Cucumbers Pickles

These pickles are prepared in a different manner. They are placed in a barrel with other spices and with salt. No vinegar is used. They are typically sour. They are typically produced in Poland and offered with Vodka.

Lime Pickles

These pickles are soaked in lime with vinegar. spices and sugar. They retain a nice enhanced lime flavor while offering a nice crisp texture.

As seen, there are many varieties of pickles out there. So many that it may be actually hard to choose the best. The above are only a small amount of the types of pickles produced world wide. There are only three good ways to discover them all, travel a lot, learn where to find them and ultimately take a nice crunchy bite.

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