Our love affair with pickles 🩷

The world’s love affair with pickles is one for the ages. For over 4,000 years, humans have been obsessed with that vinegary zing. It all started back in ancient Mesopotamia and Persia around 2400 BC, where the first archaeological evidence shows that people were soaking cucumbers in acidic brine to keep them fresher for longer.

Since then, pickles have been the ultimate plus one. Legend has it that Cleopratra, the ultimate icon of beauty, stated that pickles were the reason she had such good health and beauty. Aristotle praised their health benefits, and Julius Caesar even fed them to his troops, believing they gave his soldiers the strength and stamina needed for battle. Fast forward to the age of discovery, and even sailors like Christopher Columbus were stocking barrels of pickles on their ships to keep diseases like scurvy at bay. 

With their impressive history, its no wonder so many people love pickles. We've also found that people who love them, really love them. And we obviously do too.

What’s all the fuss about?

Pickles work well in loads of dishes because they add acidity and texture. They are satisfyingly sour (one of the five basic tastes), so they work in balance with sweet, salty, bitter and umami flavours. 

Pickles cut through the creaminess of cheese, cured meats and pâté, and bring balance to rich fatty dishes like burgers, pizzas and hot dogs. They add acidity and texture to things like salad dressings, and can even counteract the heat of spicy chicken wings and curries. 

Five ideas of what to pair with pickles

1. Add chunky slices of classic pickles to a double smash burger with cheese.
2. Include pots of pickled onions, artichoke hearts or giardiniera on your charcuterie board.
3. Make salad dressing with leftover pickle juice — just add oil, yoghurt and seasoning.
4. Stir chopped pickled gherkins through raita to excite your tastebuds on curry night.
5. Spruce up shop-bought hummus with a topping of diced pickled beetroot or carrot.

A labour of love

The story of PICKLEBITS is a true labour of love. Our founder Will spent a decade as a Royal Navy engineer, but his heart was always in the kitchen. After a year backpacking across the world with his wife Claire, trying lots of street food, they returned home to Wales ready for a new adventure.

Will started out with a street food trailer, serving up massive American style sandwiches across South Wales. But he soon noticed that people weren’t just talking about the sandwiches but were falling in love with homemade pickles. People kept asking when Will would be selling them, and because he loved them so much, PICKLEBITS was born. 

From day one, he knew that he wanted PICKLEBITS to be different. For Will, that meant being 100% honest and transparent about what exactly goes into our jars. We believe that the best quality ingredients make the best possible pickles. 

We’re proud to be a 100% certified organic food manufacturer. We’ve ditched the artificial preservatives and chemicals found in supermarket jars and created a product that’s better for the environment and, most importantly, tastes better on your plate. 

What’s your pickle love story? Share it with us on social media @picklebits.uk. 

 

 

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.