“Why would you eat that?”
It’s a question that always follows the addition of pickles to a sandwich or dish. When people think of pickles, they imagine a sour-sweet smell and a sharp, over-salted tang followed by cold, sliminess and a tight drawing of the jaw muscles.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Pickles are uniquely suited to teasing the palette. That first crunch, followed by a flood of sweet and sour that dances on the tongue, is the beginning of a wonderful, culinary adventure that enriches the body and soul.
Food is an experience that brings the body, mind and heart together – have you ever tasted something that brings your whole body and mind into the moment, turning the moment into a sensual adventure?
That is just why we eat pickles.
“Don’t they overpower everything else?”
The power of a pickle is its ability to bring flavors and ingredients together in a way that enhances rather than diminishes. Have you added pickles to a sandwich?
The first flood of saltiness and sour sweetness floods the mouth, making your jaws tingle and tighten before it mellows and the briny tang seeps into the bread, meat, and salad. The vibrant explosion of flavor that follows tickles the taste buds and stimulates the palette in a way that few other foods do. The process of fermentation that creates pickles also makes them good for our bodies.
When you let a pickle sit on your tongue and enliven your senses, the warm, fizzing pleasure and sense of wellbeing that comes with eating pickles is real. As the pickle tickles your senses and taste buds it also cares for your stomach, heart, skin, and nails, giving you everything you need to be happier and healthier.
“But, I don’t know what to do with pickles!”
Pickles are an experience; don’t be afraid of them, but rather let them lead you. Food is a journey that brings us ever closer to our bodies, souls, and the natural world; experimentation and exploration are key parts of this journey. By integrating them into many different foods, we feed our bodies, expand our knowledge, and get closer to understanding what food really means to and for us.
Open your heart and mind, let your taste buds guide you, and deny yourself no pleasure when it comes to food and all it offers to you.
Written by: Abdullah Nugali
Try our pickle enriched sandwiches at HyTable or maybe Pickle everything up! 😉