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Pickled Gherkins

A fermented cucumber pickle made with dill, blackcurrant leaves, garlic, salt, sugar, vinegar, and water.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Dill and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 187 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓

Pickled Gherkins

Time2–3 days

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Soak cucumbers in cold water for 24 hours.

  2. Wash cucumbers with a brush.

  3. Rinse cucumbers.

Make the brine and ferment

  1. Place gherkins in a large jar.

  2. Add dill stalks.

  3. Add blackcurrant leaves.

  4. Add sliced garlic.

  5. Bring water with salt and sugar to a boil.

  6. Allow the hot liquid to cool until lukewarm.

  7. Pour the lukewarm liquid over the gherkins.

  8. Cover the jar with a saucer.

  9. Leave the jar to stand.

  10. Wait 2–3 days for the liquid to turn cloudy and fermentation to start.

Scald and jar

  1. Strain the salty liquid into a saucepan.

  2. Discard the dill stalks, blackcurrant leaves, and garlic.

  3. Bring the liquid to a boil.

  4. Boil for 2–3 minutes to kill bacteria.

  5. Wash the cucumbers under running water.

  6. Pour boiling water over the cucumbers.

  7. Put the cucumbers in jars previously sterilized with boiling water or in a hot oven.

  8. Pour the hot salty liquid over the cucumbers.

  9. Seal the jars immediately.

  10. Store pickled gherkins in a dark cupboard at room temperature for up to two years.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

67Calories
1 gProtein
0 gFat
16 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 9 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Flowernot in our table0
Blackcurrantnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Dill + clovetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together187 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  2. Dill + garlictop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together943 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,368 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Dill + vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together659 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Garlic + vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,115 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Gherkins
The main vegetable, which softens and sours as it ferments in the brine.
Salt
Creates the brine that draws out moisture and supports the fermentation.
Sugar
Provides sugars that the fermenting bacteria convert into lactic acid.
Blackcurrant leaves
Their tannins help keep the gherkins firm and crisp during pickling.
Garlic
Adds aroma and savoury flavour to the brine.
Dill stalks
Add a fresh herbal aroma that flavours the gherkins.

The step that matters

Waiting for the brine to turn cloudy. Fermentation by naturally present lactic acid bacteria turns the brine cloudy and sour and preserves the gherkins. Too short a wait, or a jar left in unsuitable conditions, can leave the flavour underdeveloped or spoil the batch.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (dill, garlic, vinegar, sugar):

  1. Fennelfits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against dill, garlic, vinegar, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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