Octoroc wrote:Gherkins and pickles are the same thing. 'Pickle' is just what the Americans call them.
'Gherkin' I suspect, is an anglicisation of the German word 'Gurke(n)' which means 'cucumber(s)', but also refers to what we would call 'gherkins'. Teutonic gherkin confusion can be evaded by prefixing the word 'Gurke' with 'Salz-'(preserved in brine), 'Sauer-'(pickled) or 'Dill-'(pickled with dill).
The very best gherkins IN THE WHOLE WORLD are Spreewalder Gurken, sadly I've never found any in the UK and most British brands tend to add artificial sweeteners which is clearly an aberration.
Fortunately, I've found Krakus Dill-Gherkins to be excellent and I heartily recommend them.
Next week: odd national stereotypes used in German for terms relating to sexual acts. You don't learn this gooseberry fool by doing GCSEs kids!
Gherkins for pickling are specific varieties of cucumber that are usually smaller and better suited for pickling. They usually have a thicker skin or are all spiny. You can pickle any cucumber though. My point is that the pickling process differs - theres the brine fermented ones as you mentioned and the "pickling" that we are more familiar with, where they are canned in vinegar with dill (for similar pickled items, see: eggs, onions). The brine fermented ones taste totally different and are uncommon in the UK outside of areas with Polish populations. They are far more common in the US. Theres also bread-and-butter pickles, which are american vinegar pickled gherkins which are usually pickled with dill, onion and peppers.
I've made all three with home grown cucumbers, and the brine ones are the hardest to get right.
