Pickles: A Global History(Edible)

Pickles are a global food: from the fiery kimchi of Korea and America's dill pickles to the spicy achar of India, the ceviche of Latin America and Europe's sauerkraut, brined herrings and chutneys. Across continents and throughout history, pickling has been relied upon to preserve foods and add to their flavour. They are a cherished food of the elite as well as a staple of the masses, and have acquired a new significance in these health-conscious times: traditionally fermented pickles are probiotic and possess anti-ageing and anti-cancer properties, while pickle juice prevents muscle cramps in athletes and reduces sugar spikes in diabetics. It also cures hangovers. In Pickles, Jan Davison explores the cultural and gastronomic importance of pickles from the earliest civilizations to the twenty-first century. Discover the art of pickling mastered by the ancient Chinese, find out how the astronaut Ko San took pickled cabbage into space in 2008, learn how the Japanese pickle the deadly pufferfish, and uncover the pickling provenance of that most popular of condiments, tomato ketchup. In this globe-trotting book, Davison discovers how pickles have been omnipresent in our common quest not only to conserve, but to create foods with relish.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 Pickling: Principles and Practice 2 Asia: Ferment and Fire 3 The Mediterranean: Ancient and Modern 4 From the Middle East to Latin America: bArabs and Conquistadores 5 From the Baltic to America: Sustenance and Savour 6 From Asia to the Atlantic: Trade and Empire 7 Pickles Today Recipes References Select Bibliography Websites and Associations Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

About the Author :
Jan Davison lives and works in London. Her first book, English Sausages (2015), explored the little-known culinary history of England’s sausages and puddings.

Review :
Who doesn't love a pickle? Low in calories and packed with flavour, they simply make any meal yummier. A book to relish, this tiny tome chronicles the global rise of the humble pickle, which fuelled workers who built China’s Great Wall, flew to space (with a Korean who brought kimchi along for the rocket ride) and is now touted as a cure-all for hangovers. Pickles aren’t simple, or so one learns after consuming just a few pages of Pickles by Jan Davison. There are quick pickles, pickle pickles and fermented pickles, not to mention dry salting and dry pickling with soybean paste or rice mold, ketchup, hot sauce . . . In Japan, they quick-pickle chrysanthemums as a condiment. Who knew? well researched, nicely illustrated . . . Davison deftly explores the world of pickling; its antecedents stretching back at least 9000 years; its prominence in the cuisine of so many different countries; and the sheer wondrous variety of salted, soused, and marinated dishes of the world . . . Alongside the ubiquitous sauerkraut and cucumber Jan Davison gives us, in passing, recipes for pickling locusts and octopus, plums, celery and aubergines. the book is well-researched and thoroughly studied . . . a mouth-watering account of pickle world, a delicious read for summer.