gordonmessmer t1_je8ucb3 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:56 AM

Reply to comment by Kaneida in ELI5 Why are pickles not just called pickled cucumbers? by Shabless

"Pickling is the process of preserving edible products in an acid solution, usually vinegar, or in salt solution (brine). In the latter case, the acid that does the preservative action (lactic acid mainly) is produced by fermentation"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/pickling

Kaneida t1_je8xsmk wrote on March 30, 2023 at 7:45 AM

I was under following impression:

> No, pickling is not fermentation. Pickling use vinegar and heat to kill microorganisms. Fermentation, on the other hand, let the natural bacteria create lactic acid that will keep the bad microorganisms at bay, while improving the nutritional quality of the vegetables.

(https://revolutionfermentation.com/en/blogs/fermented-vegetables/differences-fermentation-pickling/#:~:text=No%2C%20pickling%20is%20not%20fermentation,nutritional%20quality%20of%20the%20vegetables.)

However found somwhere else following:

> Sauerkraut is a pickle! The naturally high water content in cabbage, mixed with salt, makes a brine, which therefore makes sauerkraut and kimchi a pickle as well as a fermented food.

So today I learned. Thanks for correcting me!