20
Oct
To add to the confusion pickling is a term used by many folks to refer to food preservation by either canning or fermenting. In many cases that acidic medium is vinegar.
Pickling What is Pickling.
Is pickling the same as fermenting. Pickling is not the same as fermenting even though they both preserve foods. The pickling process involves using vinegar to kill the microorganisms and bacteria in food. Fermentation is an anaerobic process where lactic acid destroys bacteria while also releasing probiotics.
Both pickled and fermented cucumbers are commonly called pickles. To add to the confusion pickling is a term used by many folks to refer to food preservation by either canning or fermenting. But not in this article.
Pickles will mean theyve been preserved unfermented in hot brine. Fermenting and pickling are methods to treat perishable food usually with the intent of preserving it for a long period. Both - Some foods are both pickled and fermented.
Foods like sauerkraut fermented pickles and kimchi fall into this category. Surströmming or Swedish sour herring is both pickled and then fermented. In each of these foods they are placed in a salty brine that kills off harmful bacteria thereby pickling the food.
An easy way to remember the difference between the two despite their overlap is that pickling involves putting food into an acidic brine to produce a sour flavor whereas fermenting gives food a sour flavor without any added acid. Pickling and fermenting are some of the oldest known methods to preserve food and yet they are frequently mistaken for one another. The processes do have some overlap even though they are independent of one another.
They are also independently awesome. Fermentation is the process of converting carbohydrates in food to alcohol or acid by using microorganisms. Pickling differs from fermentation because it is a type of fermentation.
Pickling involves using an acidic brine and can help preserve the shelf life of certain foods. While fermenting is a very specific process pickling is much more of a broad term. To pickle something simply means to preserve it using brine or acid.
Technically speaking fermented vegetables are pickled because of the salt bath used to kickstart the process. But not all pickled vegetables are fermented. Pickled vs Fermented Foods Alex Lewin author of Real Food Fermentation explains that the confusion comes from the overlap in definition.
In a nutshell not all fermented foods are pickled and not all pickles are fermented. In other words foods that are pickled are those that have been preserved in an acidic medium. All fermented foods are pickled but not all pickled foods are fermented.
Fermented food sits out for a substantial period of time thereby introducing ambient bacteria that will naturally ferment the food that is undergoing the pickling process. Difference Between Fermenting vs. Pickling What is Pickling.
Lets start with the definition of a pickle or the verb to pickle. The simplest definition is to preserve or flavor food in a solution of brine or vinegar Any food can be pickled but for the sake of this post we are going to stick to vegetables. The difference between pickling and fermenting is the process of how they achieve a sour flavor.
Pickled foods are sour because they are soaked in acidic brine while fermented foods are sour because of a chemical reaction between naturally present sugars and bacteria. BACK NEXT Many people confuse pickling and fermenting because they both involve preserving vegetables and both are typically stored in jars. The easiest way to identify the difference is taste.
Pickled vegetables have a vinegar flavor and fermented vegetables are. Both fermenting and pickling are ancient food preservation techniques. The confusion arises because the categories actually overlap with each other.
Some fermented foods are pickled and some pickles are fermented. A pickle is simply a food thats been preserved in a brine salt or salty water or an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. Some pickles can be fermented but others are not.
Pickling is a more general term referring to various ways of preserving foods in an acidic medium. In many cases that acidic medium is vinegar. Basically pickled foods are preserved through the acidity while fermented foods are preserved through the bacteria and the fermentation processes.
Pickling is a general term simply referring to preserving foods with an acidic medium. Most fermented foods are pickled but not all pickles are fermented– Austin DurantLearn the differences between these two styles of food preservationLea.