Pickles Popping Up on Menus

A recent article by Nation’s Restaurant News reported that pickles are more and more commonplace on menus. Exactly how commonplace are they? Pickles are popping up on more than a third of menus today, which is a 13.2 percent increase over 2008.

Perhaps one reason behind pickles’ popularity is their simple preparation. Many restaurants can pickle anything with ingredients they have in the pantry: vinegar, salt, sugar, varied herbs and spices. Add to that, virtually anything can be pickled — from traditional cucumbers to watermelon rinds. That means pickles are always in season; local produce options on any given day are game to be pickled. Better still, pickling preserves produce for later consumption.

Pickling is an easy way to flex your creative muscles and add a personal flourish to your menu. Add a bit of pizzazz with rotating varieties — you just might find a new fan favorite.

Photo credit: Gordy’s Pickle Jar