Dill Cucumber Pickles 445 



Dill-pickles. — The art of preparing dill-pickles was 

 probably unknown in western Europe until late in the 

 Middle Ages. It was introduced there by the Slavs, with 

 whom dill-pickles have long been a favorite food and 

 condiment. The art itself is based on the same princi- 

 ples as that of sauerkraut-making. The sugars and other 

 soluble organic substances in the cucumbers are made 

 to pass out into the liquid in which they are immersed. 

 The juice thus formed undergoes spontaneous fermen- 

 tation through the activities of lactic -acid ferments, 

 principally Bacterium lactis acidi and Bacillus coli 

 communis. In its turn, the lactic acid produced serves 

 to keep out the various putrefactive bacteria that 

 would otherwise destroy the pickles. As in the case of 

 sauerkraut, the acid ultimately decreases in quantity 

 through the activities of Oidium lactis and of other 

 molds and yeasts. The conditions finally become favor- 

 able for the growth of the decay bacteria and the pickles 

 are attacked and decomposed. 



In the case of sauerkraut, the juice in which the 

 microorganisms multiply is pressed out of the cabbage 

 itself, in the preparation of dill-pickles, it is supplied 

 by the addition of water. After the washed cucumbers 

 are placed in the cask, they are covered with clean 

 water (in some cases with boiled water). Aside from 

 the small quantity of salt that is added there are placed 

 in the casks various other substances like dill, laurel 

 leaves, oak leaves or paprica, the one used depending 

 largely upon local preferences. 



It is important to add enough water to cover the 

 cucumbers entirely and to exclude the air from the 



