Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that pickles are at an all-time high. At Tasting Table, we’re more than happy to jump on the bandwagon (have you seen our favorite pickle recipes?), but for the extra curious among readers, do you know where to find the self-described “pickle capital of the world”?
The winner of this bizarre title is St. Charles, an Illinois city located along the Fox River. Its ultimate pickled claim is that it once hosted the advertising agency, Pickle Packers International — who literally transformed anything and everything into marketing material. Pickle-themed purses and earrings became the quirky norm, and the agency’s president coined St. Charles as the “pickle capital.” Of course, times are ever-changing, and Pickle Packers International now resides in Washington, D.C.
In terms of claims to fame, neighboring Michigan is also close at St. Charles’ heels. The state holds a third of the nation’s pickle-dedicated acreage. Let’s just say that St. Charles once talked the talk, but Michigan farms walk the walk.
Keep the sour food’s complex history in mind next time you’re perusing recipes for cooking with pickle juice. There’s more to the simple yellow-green snack than first meets the eye.
Where were pickles invented?
As poetic as pickles invented in St. Charles would be, we’ll have to burst that bubble. Their story tracks way back — over 4,000 years, to be exact. In the Middle East, there was a region once called Mesopotamia, where citizens preserved cucumbers using brine. A smart discovery, it hinged on the acidic environment preventing bacteria growth. However, it was Cleopatra and Julius Caesar (the 50 B.C. it couple) who gave the snack its first high-profile endorsement, respectively praising it for imparting beauty and strength.
It wouldn’t gain its name until later after the Roman Empire had spread through Europe. “Pickle” is said to originate from Dutch or German variations of the word “salt” or “brine.”
It’s easy to see that the preserved fruit embarked on quite the journey before arriving at St. Charles, the “pickle capital of the world.” Given the depth of its history, is the city’s claim erring on the bold side? Perhaps, but the truth is, nobody can resist the savory snack. As pickle recipes increase (enthusiasts: are you aware of the history of the pickleback?), it’s clear that the obsession is driving a constant chain of new inventions. We’re not complaining.
