Pickles are a perfect companion to any deli sandwich, but also a stellar snack on their own. So it only makes sense that we take our pickles seriously! Any pickle worth its salt (pun fully intended!) will be crisp and crunchy, never overloaded with vinegar or additives. Read on to learn more about these briny buddies and what makes ours so special!
Our Dill-icious Pickles
Pickles have been a cornerstone of the Deli since the very first day we opened in 1982. Our New and Old Pickles are more colloquially known as “half-sour” and “sour,” respectively. “I grew up in Chicago,” says founder Ari Weinzweig, “where the New Pickle or half-sour were the norm.” But based on his experience in the biz, it seems like East Coasters lean more towards Old Pickles or sours. Deli co-founders Ari and Paul decided to serve both!
What makes pickles so important at a Jewish deli? It’s all about the preservation method. Refrigeration is a relatively new phenomenon when it comes to preserving food. Before people could easily regulate the temperature of their food to keep it safe for eating—and before things like fresh produce and meat were readily available even during the colder months—perishables were typically smoked, salted, or pickled. In Ashkenazi, or Eastern European, Jewish culture, pickled cucumbers were common along with pickled cabbage (the sauerkraut you all know and love). Ashkenazi Jews certainly didn’t invent pickling, but it was a food preservation method that they took with them as they immigrated to warmer climates as a way of keeping vegetables safe and healthy to eat.
Ready to get a little technical? There are actually two types of pickles—fermented and vinegar. Vinegar pickles are plunged into a hot vinegar brine bath and heat processed for sterility and a long shelf life. These are the pickles you see on shelves in grocery stores, and you can keep them in your pantry before you open the jar. Fermented pickles, on the other hand, are put in a saltwater brine and sit at room temperature to ferment with lactic acid bacteria, which destroy spoilage organisms that grow on vegetables exposed to air. The lactic acid creates a complex tartness as opposed to the one-note sour flavor of a vinegar pickle, and the bacteria add a lot of nutritional value! Because fermented pickles aren’t heat-pasteurized, they’re sold refrigerated and should be kept in your refrigerator at home even before you open the jar.
Fermented veggies (like the ones we get locally from The Brinery) of all kinds have the benefit of containing probiotics that promote a healthy microbiome in your gut and they can even strengthen your immune system! The lactic acid bacteria also produce B vitamins as they digest sugars, which creates the wonderful spectrum of flavors you’ve come to expect from sauerkraut, kimchi, or our Deli pickles. For the first 35ish years of our business, we sourced pickles from Hermann Pickle Company in Ohio. When these pickles became impossible for us to reliably get, we switched to Detroit-based Topor’s Pickle Company and worked with them for about a yearand a half to get a recipe to taste according to our specifications.
If you’ve never tried one of our pickles, you should! They act as an excellent palate cleanser. The acidity of the pickle offers a bright contrast to the fatty pastrami and corned beef on classic deli sandwiches. Our New Pickles have a shorter cure time, so they’re very crunchy and a lot of cucumber flavor still comes through. The Old Pickles, or sours, are fermented longer, so they have a much stronger brininess and tangy bite.
(Still not convinced we love our pickles? We teamed up with Great Lakes Potato Chips of Traverse City, Michigan, to craft a love letter of sorts to our fermented faves: Dill-icious Deli Pickle Potato Chips! Briny and herby and perfectly crunchy.)
More Ways to Pickle Your Fancy
The Brinery Fair n’ By Sauerkraut: The Brinery’s flagship kraut—a salute to natural fermentation made with just cabbage and salt; this is the dude that ties our reuben together.
The Brinery Galaxy Rose Sauerkraut: Green cabbage, red heart radish, salt, and a rainbow of flavor. Staff favorite seasonal kraut from the Brinery.
The Brinery Oh Gee Kimchi: A vegan version of the Korean staple. Napa cabbage base with hot pepper, ginger, garlic, and onion balanced against the subtle sweetness of apples and carrots.
Mahjoub Preserved Lemons: A classic ingredient in North African Cooking from our friend, the Mahjoub family estate in Tunisia. A foodie’s pantry staple.
Cornichons: Crunchy little gherkins perfect for cheese or charcuterie boards!
Koy Pantry Pumpkin in Syrup: These pumpkins are cubed and then quickly pickled and preserved in simple syrup to maintain their texture and flavor. Try with cheese for an excellent pairing!
Marcia’s Munchies Cherry Pops: Pickled cherry tomatoes, made here in Michigan! A perfect cocktail garnish, appetizer, or ingredient in fresh salad.
Marcia’s Munchies ‘Sparagus: Perfectly pickled and very spicy. Great in cocktails, as appetizers, or served with meats and cheeses.
Marcia’s Munchies Little Hotties Pickles: Classic, sweet, bread-and-butter-style pickles are brined with whole habanero chiles to kick up the spice. These come thinly sliced and ready to elevate any sandwich. Try them with fried chicken!
Show Your Pickle Pride
If a jar or two in your fridge just ain’t cutting it, take a look at our pickle-themed merch!
Big Dill Apron: Cook in style in this black 100% cotton apron with an adjustable neck strap. Designed by our own in-house artists and printed by our favorite local clothing printer.
Customizable Pickle Blimp Poster: Whether you want to commemorate a favorite sandwich, tell someone how much you love them, or proclaim a friend’s passion for pickles, let us know what you want the pickle blimp to broadcast across the Deli skies. We’ll hand-paint your message in our classic Zingerman’s font and ship it for free anywhere in the continental U.S.
