Pickle History

• Pickles have had an extremely extensive history, dating back to at least 2030 BC.
• Some historical figures such as Aristotle and Cleopatra are claimed to have touted the health and beauty benefits of cucumbers.
•  Cucumbers, a species of gourd, were native to India and quickly spread across the globe.
• They have relatively easy production requirements and can produce numerous flavors, which contributed to their widespread popularity amongst all classes.
• Cucumbers were once also used for many medicinal applications.
• Pickling was originally a necessary and convenient practice to preserve food products for travel or to survive winter periods without fresh food.
• This process turns sugars into lactic acid which does not spoil from bacteria.
• With a crisp and strong flavor, pickles maintained popularity in times when many diets were basic and mostly flavorless.
• Cucumbers in pickling were ideal because of their nutrition and better resistance to spoilage which made transporting the pickles across oceans and to the Americas feasible.
• Eastern Jewish populations, during increased periods of immigration, introduced pickled cucumbers to America "during the late 1800s and early 1900s."
• During these times, pickles were made by various lengths of aging that were labeled as full or partial sours.
• This became a profitable business in what would become the United States and solidified pickles' place as a dietary staple.
• With improved canning methods, pickling also advanced in the 1850s when home pickling and canning was prominent and essential.
• Rationing for troops during World War 2 included pickles and 40% of the United States' pickle output was reserved for the military.
• Pickling has further expanded to include many types of spices, methods, and cultural approaches to the practice.
• Pickles in the United States are now made majorly through simplified industrial means, and cucumbers are possibly used as the primary pickling vegetable due to their historical prevalence, and as a product of tradition and familiarity.

Pickle Market Data

• The global pickles market reached a value of $7.9 billion in 2018.
• Over 50% of these sales were through supermarket mediums.
• Jarred pickled goods are the most prominent method of packaging, accounting for 65% of sales.
•  50% of all cucumbers that are grown in the United States are made into pickles.
• China produces approximately 80% of the global supply of cucumbers.
• Michigan and North Carolina produce the largest amount of pickles of states in the United States.
• The largest portion of the global pickle market is North America.
• Further information into the specifics of the pickle market, particularly in the United States and the types of food products used, are available through reports accessible behind paywall.