What is Pickles?
Pickles can be made from many vegetables, but are most commonly made from cucumbers. Pickles come sliced or whole and are made by preserving the cucumbers in a flavored vinegar solution. The result is a crunchy green and juicy pickle with plenty of moisture from the vinegar and juice of the cucumber. The flavor is strong, sour and tangy with a hint of garlic.
Ingredients
The cucumber is a vine-growing vegetable with a shiny, smooth green skin and a long round body. Cucumbers vary in size depending on when they were picked and the variety of the vegetable. They can be a few inches, or over a foot long and are wide like a zucchini. Though smooth, they skin may be ridged, or have sparse and tiny rough spots. The flesh is a pale white green with a soft yet firm and crunchy texture that is full of water. Seeds run down the middle of the cucumber. This vegetable has a refreshing and mildly green and watery taste. Cucumbers are best eaten raw.
Water is a substance and chemical compound made up of hydrogen and oxygen. It is clear, fluid, flavorless and odorless. Water is a necessity in nearly every aspect of life, including cooking, baking and hydrating the human body. Water can be served as a cold beverage, or at any temperature comfortable to the mouth and skin.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
Garlic is used in cuisines around the world and is extremely popular for its depth of flavor. The garlic bulb forms underneath the soil and is harvested once it reaches maturity. The bulb typically has thin, dry, white and flaky skin, surrounding the individual cloves. Often there are 10-12 cloves to a bulb/head of garlic. The cloves are cream colored with a strong smell and flavor that is spicy and sharp. Garlic takes on a nutty flavor in addition, when cooked. It is used in countless dishes, sauces, breads and more.
Lemons grown in warm and sunny climates. In the US, they are a little smaller than a tennis ball. They have a zingy and citrusy taste that is sour and bright. The rind is yellow, textured and shiny. The yellow of the rind is called zest in cooking and used to flavor food. The pith, the white part of the lemon is bitter and not commonly eaten, though edible. The yellow pulpy and juicy flesh is used the most and adds a bright citrus flavor to any dish. Lemons are popular in many cuisines worldwide.
Onion bagels are individual serving sized, ring shaped breads, roughly the size of a donut. They are made from a yeasted dough. The outside of the bagel is covered in small, savory onion pieces.
