Technique #75: Ferment Pickles the Traditional Way

Fermentation relies on the cultivation of natural microorganisms, including beneficial bacteria. These good bacteria outcompete harmful bacteria for food and resources, preventing their growth. They consume sugars present in the ingredients being pickled and in the brine, and they produce byproducts, including lactic acid, acetic acid, alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other compounds. 

While the acids are “pickling” our ingredients, the other byproducts are equally important, inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria and spoilage enzymes. They also provide a fascinating array of fermented flavors and taste sensations.

To ferment, items are often salted or submerged in a salty brine and left to sit for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks or longer. The salt creates an inhospitable environment for bad microbes, seasons the pickles, and gives them their texture. This all happens through diffusion. Since the salt in pickle brine is more concentrated than that inside the cells of the vegetable, the small salt molecules diffuse into the cells and cause their walls to soften. 

Larger flavor molecules from other ingredients slowly make their way into the vegetables as well. As the cell walls continue to soften, it becomes easier for the flavors to move into the pickles. Using canning and pickling salt rather than regular table salt is important, as table salt contains additives that give the brine unwanted chemical flavors.

In addition to disliking salt, bad microbes are also vulnerable to highly acidic environments. Whereas vinegar pickles simply use vinegar as the acidic means to produce quick pickles, fermented pickles rely on the help of the good bacteria and storage conditions to create the proper acidic environment.