Culinary Trends | Mid Winter 2011


Pickles Local Mission Eatery's Pickled Produce made in-house. Photo by Timmy Malloy


European accoutrements such as krauts, cornichons and olives for decades. There are two main methods of pickling. The pri- mary technique uses vinegar or some form of acid to create “fresh pickles,” (i.e. standard dill) while the less common preparation is done with salt to make “fer- mented pickles,” (i.e. sauerkraut). Either preparation usually features both key agents. Each offers health bene- fits: the fresh pickles maintain some of the produce’s nutrients, while the probiotic growth in the fermented variety is particularly valuable. Brooke Moen, Berkeley based licensed acupuncturist


and Chinese herbalist, explains that like a healthy garden, your gut requires a symbiotic ecosystem to flourish and fermented foods’ probiotics help maintain the garden’s bal- ance. So whether it is the kraut, fermenting on your shelf,


or the pickles you ate at lunch, the good bacteria from probi- otics are keeping the bad bacteria from causing harm. San Francisco’s Chef Douglas Monsalud of super-lauded-sand- wich-haven Kitchenette SF, Heart art and wine bar and LRE (Living Room Events,) considers this when pickle-loading his menus, citing inspirations from Michael Pollan and a rising public interest in the benefits of lacto-fermented foods.


Getting into pickles To refresh their menus, chefs are reviving aging and


fermenting practices, given their enduring popularity. Take the beet salad – it may not be groundbreaking, but diners gravitated towards the dish, earning its place on the menu as a staple. Copley’s Executive Chef Andrew Manion Copley, recognizes that such guest-adored dishes are im- portant to offer; so in order to keep the menu interesting,


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