There’s nothing quite like a pickle.
A brine of vinegar, water, sugar, salt, herbs and spices is a magic potion that turns a fresh veggie into something else entirely. It works with onions, olives, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, peppers and more.
But the word “pickle” and the puckery pop synonymous with it is most associated with the cucumber. Pickle other vegetables and it dresses them like a salad. The change is flavorful but subtle — the tangy punch of Primanti’s coleslaw is very different than simple shredded cabbage.
A cucumber, on the other hand, undergoes an almost alchemical shift. If a blandly sweet cuke is Clark Kent, a kosher dill is Superman, with an acidic ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
That’s what makes Picklesburgh, the annual Downtown event celebrating the unique place pickles occupy in the Pittsburgh palate landscape, so special. Heinz ketchup might be a Steel City must, but it was pickles that built the brand.
Indulging in some pickley food is a big part of the festival this week. Pickles on pizza, pickles on sandwiches. Fried pickles, pickle soup, pickle drinks, even pickle ice cream.
But that doesn’t happen until Friday. What if you have a craving for a pickle right away? Sure, you can always crack open a jar of gherkins or bread and butters. But is that the kind of special something you could find at an annual celebration of vinegar-marinated veggie wizardry? There are better ways that are almost as easy.
A pickle board — a charcukerie, if you will — can present an assortment of dilly options. There’s the old-school pickle wraps with cream cheese and dried beef or ham.
You can also skewer pickle chunks with meats, cheeses and other veggies for a quick, easy, slightly fancy bite. Use spicy pickles with pepper jack and ham or salami for an Italian sub-style snack. Don’t like spice? Use mozzarella and cherry tomatoes instead for a pickle-tinged version of a caprese salad.
Pickles are a classic way to add flavor and fun to a sandwich, a salad, a meal or a snack. They deserve a festival — but you don’t have to wait for one to celebrate them.
