Pickle Your Fancy

It’s not surprising that most Russians spend most of their summers gardening on their allotments (see Russian Life, September, 1996). After all, in the winter, they eat the conserves they made from food grown at their dachas: all sorts of jams, compotes, sauerkraut and, of course, pickled cucumbers. As little as ten years ago, it was vital that people made these things at home, because, for the average Soviet, buying fresh vegetables in winter was about as easy as taking a trip abroad. 

Times have changed, and the store shelves are now heaving with fruit and vegetables at all times of the year. But most Russians continue to honor their traditions and fill their refrigerators and larders with jars full of pickles. Pickled cucumbers are present in almost every home.

The fact is that the cucumber is a much-loved vegetable in Russia [Thus the saying Zdorov kak ogurchik. Literally, ‘healthy as a cucumber,’ meaning fit as a fiddle.]. It was introduced in the 15th century and quickly spread throughout those areas where climatic conditions allowed it to grow. Pickled cucumbers became one of the most popular and common starter dishes in Russia. 

Having always been great lovers of eating, Russians knew perfectly well that appetites are best whetted by food with a lot of salt in it. Four hundred years ago, starters were known as rassolnoye, because they consisted mainly of salted fish, mushrooms, cabbage and cucumbers. Also, Russians soon realized that pickled cucumbers were a cheap and tasty companion to vodka. While wealthy people chased their vodka with caviar, those with more modest means used pickled cucumbers. It was also noted that the juice from pickled cucumbers (rassol) helped to relieve the negative consequences of heavy drinking. There was even a dish invented called pokhmelye (hangover), made up of pieces of pickled cucumber, their juice and ham, which was prepared on the morning after major feast days.

The salting of cucumbers according to traditional recipes is quite a long and laborious process. In rural areas, cucumbers are pickled in whole barrels, while in towns they are generally prepared in glass jars. In this case, cucumbers last a long time (at least two months) and everything is done to prevent them from going off. If, however, you prepare your cucumbers so as to eat them over the course of one month, then you can use a recipe which allows you to make great, lightly-salted cucumbers in the space of less than 24 hours.

Lightly Salted Cucumbers

Wash some medium-sized cucumbers, cut off the ends, pierce them with a fork several times, douse with boiling water and put in a glass jar, adding chopped sprigs of dill, horseradish, garlic and blackcurrant leaves. Then fill the jars with brine or salt water (1-2 oz. of salt to 2 pints of water) to the top, close the lid and leave in a cold place (a refrigerator is fine). In 8-10 hours, the cucumbers will be ready.