If you find yourself in a pickle wondering what type of this delicious treat you should add to your next charcuterie board, serve alongside a smoked sausage, or to simply eat as a snack, we have got you covered. We are going to help you answer the question, “What are the different types of pickles?”, so you can be sure to make the perfect selection when it comes to this delicious treat.
What Are The Different Types of Pickles?
In case you need a reminder of what this beloved crave worthy food actually is; a pickle is a pickled cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period time. Now that you know what makes a pickle a pickle, you may be wondering why there are different types of pickles. It sounds straight forward doesn’t it?
Well, pickles are really loved in the U.S. The Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American eats 8.5lbs of pickles a year. Because of that, people have tried to put their own spin on pickles, creating different types to suit all varieties of taste buds.
The most common types of pickles are dill, bread and butter, and sweet pickles. Below we review these further and look into some of the other most popular kinds of pickles you may find.
- Dill: Let’s start with one of the most well-known types of pickles, the dill. When most people think of pickles, dill pickles are what typically comes to mind. These pickles, much like the name implies, are flavored heavily with dill. Dill pickles are usually crisp and fresh tasting and have a strong dill flavor. You can find kosher dills, garlic flavored dills, ranch dills, hot dills, old bay dills, etc. Dills are often served in the spear form, but also come in chips and other cuts.
- Bread and Butter: One of the more unique pickle flavors, is bread and butter pickles. They are tangy and sweet, getting their distinctive taste from the combination of vinegar, sugar, onions, and chopped red and green peppers included in the fermentation process. These pickles are often sliced thin into medallions, making them great to go on a sandwich, hence the bread and butter name.
- Sweet: As the name implies, sweet pickles boast wonderfully sweet and tasty flavor. The sweet flavor is added to them by their brine containing sugar, often times other spices like onion, cinnamon, and mustard seed are included as well. The brine gives these pickles just a touch of sweetness, making them perfect for snacking.
- Sour: Similar to all of the other different types of pickles, the name implies what sour pickles taste like. Sour pickles are pickled like other pickles; however, the brine does not include vinegar and they are usually left to ferment longer, making them taste sour. When eaten within the first six weeks of fermenting, these pickles are called half-sour; after that, they are called sour pickles. Unlike other pickles, they don’t have that vinegar bite or sweetness, making them sour.
- Gherkins: The terms gherkins and pickles are often used interchangeably; however, gherkins are actually a type of pickle. A gherkin is a small variety of cucumber (they look like baby pickles), typically under two inches long and they are usually more bumpy then other pickles. A gherkin pickle is usually crunchier than other pickles and can have a variety of flavors, based on how they are made. When it comes to gherkins, what really makes them different is their size and texture.
We have only reviewed a few of the more popular different types of pickles. Keep in mind, when it comes to pickles, the possibilities are endless. Pickles can be flavored however the maker chooses. And the different ways pickles are cut can not only make them more suitable as a snack or a sandwich stacker, but changes the way the pickles absorb all that briny goodness, further developing unique textures and tastes. Really, there is no limit to the number of different types of pickles.
At Five Star Sausage we have a variety of pickle options. You are sure to find something to make your taste buds dance.
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