Pretty Finding the Cure Sasha Bernstein “Oh, I’ll have my pickles with the foie.” While 4


delis forever built reputations on the accoutrement, fine dining rooms didn’t necessarily make pickles the fixings fixture they are now. Walk into Barbacco in San Francisco and admire the counter-covering runway show of colorful pickles in glass vessels. Concurrent with the rise of sandwiches and street food, the stan- dard wax-paper-segregated, faded, and slightly wilted spears have been reinvented in all colors, shapes, sizes, textures and flavors. They sit prettily on fine white china and intentionally distressed cutting boards, show- ing off in rustic mason jars and delicate porcelain ramekins. Everything from sea beans to sweet corn to Nesbit grapes are pickling in kitchens across the re- gion, adding punch to salads, soufflés, seafood, meats and desserts.


Preserving traditions Pickling is not a new fad. As one of the most an-


cient preservation techniques, pickling evolved in vari- ous cultures as a way to access vegetables and their nutrients long after their peaks of season. As Linda Ziedrich, author of The Joy of Pickling puts it, “…few must survive the winter on preserved foods, [but] pick- les still retain their power of enticement.” The tech- nique was in practice starting as early as 1000 BC in the Middle East, where pickles are still a given, three meals a day. Throughout Asia, a customary pickle-honoring diet evolved with kimchi, ginger and radish, while African cultures relish the benefits of fermented food in garri and injera. Only over the past few years have American palates become more accepting of these varieties of pickles, but diners have been enjoying


Culinary Trends | Mid Winter 2011


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