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Krakus pickled cucumber (in jar)


john9159
19 Jul 2021 #1
My sister swears that Krakus have two types of pickled cucumber, one in what she describes as "sweet vinegar" and the other in spirit vinegar.

I think it's only made in one base liquid, that of pickling solution of spirit vinegar, dill, horseradish, garlic, mustard, sugar & salt.
Which of us is correct?
Lenka 5 | 3,418
19 Jul 2021 #2
She is. One is Ogorki konserwowe. The other ogorki kiszone
mafketis 36 | 10,706
19 Jul 2021 #3
konserwowe are in sweet vinegar but I thought kiszone are made in brine, not vinegar.

the difference between konserwowe and kiszone is hard to make in (US) English where both are usually... pickles with no generally accepted way of distinguishing them, like czereśnie and wiśnie are both just 'cherries'....
pawian 221 | 24,014
19 Jul 2021 #4
the difference between konserwowe and kiszone is hard to make

No.
Konserwowe means using spirit vinegar
Kiszone means they are naturally fermented, like sauerkraut.

Which of us is correct?

You are correct talking about Konserwowe - that is the flagship product of Krakus.
But recently they introduced Kiszone - it is still marked as Novelty on the labels.

Now you have to establish whether your sister meant Kiszone when she said sweet vinegar. Coz I am afraid it is not the same - naturally fermented cucumbers tend to be salty, not sweet.

Therefore, I am opting you have won this argument with your sister. :):).
mafketis 36 | 10,706
19 Jul 2021 #5
Konserwowe means

I know the difference. My point was that English lacks a quick and simple way to distinguish the two... which can lead to confusion.
pawian 221 | 24,014
19 Jul 2021 #6
Yes. In vinegar versus naturally fermented sound awkward. :):):).
jon357 74 | 21,776
20 Jul 2021 #7
I thought kiszone are made in brine, not vinegar.

Made with scalding water. They produce their own acid as they decompose.
amiga500 4 | 1,520
21 Jul 2021 #8
I was under the impression, that Konserwowe and Kiszone are traditionally from different parts of Poland. My family from Warsaw never ate Konserwowe and dislike it. I see adding vinegar to cucumbers as a english thing. Prove me wrong
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #9
Konserwowe and Kiszone are traditionally from different parts of Poland

Urban v. rural, if anything. If there's anything regional it's about traditional production/distribution as well as taste.
Oathbreaker 4 | 418
21 Jul 2021 #10
It´s how it´s preserved too, Kiszone doesn´t have added sugar in it (which is why I buy them)
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #11
It´s how it´s preserved too

Yes. Kiszone are done with just water and a few bits and pieces. They probably account for 80% of what's actaully consumed, whether home-made, bought by weight from a barrel or bought in a jar.

Konserwowe are made for bulk production, keeping and transportation.

Kwaszone used to be more common than they are now. A very different taste but an interesting one. Most people seem to prefer kiszone to kwaszone, as do I.
Alien 20 | 4,740
21 Jul 2021 #12
Kiszone and kwaszone it is the same.
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #13
it is the same.

There's a key difference. Kwaszone are made by an industrial process using added acid (often lactic acid) to artificially speed up preservation and reduce costs. This inhibits natural bacterial action (which produces subtlety of flavour) and produces a different taste and texture.
Alien 20 | 4,740
21 Jul 2021 #14
When my wife makes cucumbers, they are malosolous (malosolne) after 3 days and pickled (kiszone) after a week.
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #15
(malosolne) after 3 days and pickled (kiszone) aft

This is normal for gherkins (though pickled isn't the best translation of kiszone).

Kwaszone are done in a factory, vacuum packed and dispatched to wholesalers/shops straight away.
amiga500 4 | 1,520
21 Jul 2021 #16
Kwaszone are made by an industrial process using added acid

Confused. So pretty much any mass produced kiszone/ogorki in brine that are sold in cans are actualy kwaszone? and only the stuff found in wooden barrels in rural areas etc are really kiszone??
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #17
actualy kwaszone?

No. Kwaszone are made by a specific twentieth-century industrial process and are less popular.

in brine that are mass produced and sold in cans

Cans?

and only the stuff found in wooden barrels in rural areas etc are really kiszone??

No. You can kisić ogórki in a jar, a barrel or a vat in a factory. Just as long as it's sealed and sterile.
Alien 20 | 4,740
21 Jul 2021 #18
Google translation for gherkins is "korniszony". It is not the same. Korniszony are with vinegar.
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #19
Google translation for gherkins is "korniszony".

Don't trust Google translation. Korniszony are cornichons in English; the same French-style product and about as popular in England as in PL or less so, and about as long on the supermarket shelves.

Gherkins are any kind of preserved small ogórki.
amiga500 4 | 1,520
21 Jul 2021 #20
Cans?

Yes we have glass jars from Poland and metal cans/tins from Israel here. Israeli ones very good too but only have garlic whilst the polish ones have the dill and other plants/spices etc.
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #21
metal cans from Israel

I've not seen those.

A bit of garlic's important if you're doing małosolny however otherwise I can live without it and too much can make them unpleasant. Best to go heavy with the dill and horseradish and ligfht with the garlic.

Chilli gherkins seem more and more popular in PL. A few years ago supermarkets would have none or maybe one brand, and now there are a few.
amiga500 4 | 1,520
21 Jul 2021 #22
Chilli gherkins seem more and more popular in PL

With vinegar? Funnily enough, I went to a Ruski sklep once for the Israeli ogorki in brine, and this time they had ogorki in brine with lots of chilli instead, which they claimed was the same company , but manufactured for the Palestinian territories.
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #23
With vinegar?

Usually, though I've seen kiszone too.
johnny reb 47 | 6,795
21 Jul 2021 #24
Made with scalding water. They produce their own acid as they decompose.

Yes and while cooking this brine do not stand over it and breath it or you can burn the inside of your nose.

They produce their own acid as they decompose.

And that acid may have a chemical reaction to tin cans.
That is why the Polish use glass instead of cans.
Even while making the brine you shouldn't use metal pots that could be reactive to the brine.

Yes we have glass jars from Poland

And the Polish pickles that we in the U.S. imported from Poland are in glass jars also.
Here is a simple Polish recipe that I use to make them.
(Quite fun to make on a rainy day in late summer)

polishpoland.com/pickled-gherkins-ogorki-kwaszone/
jon357 74 | 21,776
21 Jul 2021 #25
while cooking this brine do not stand over it and breath it or you can burn the inside of your nose.

It's about a heaped tablespoonful (maximum) per litre. I use around half that and get good results. Oversalted ones have harder skins and a different taste..
amiga500 4 | 1,520
22 Jul 2021 #26
I bought the israeli ogorki today and jon was right, in the ingredients they list acetic acid and firming agent. So they really are kwaszone. They do taste different actually but damm good! The shop also had marinated ogorki with prunes! but i was not brave enough to buy that..



johnny reb 47 | 6,795
22 Jul 2021 #27
Oversalted ones have harder skins and a different taste..

Thanks jon, I will take your advise and give it a try this year.
Canning season here will be starting in about three weeks. (Mid-August thru September)
Buy your canning lids now before they get all sold out.
jon357 74 | 21,776
22 Jul 2021 #28
give it a try this year.

If you've got fresh horseradish, put a bit in the jar.

Canning season... canning lids

In Poland now, drying is very popular. People buy electric food dryers. It doesn't work with gherkins though.

marinated ogorki with prunes!

I would try that just for the experience. The Israeli ones sound good too.
johnny reb 47 | 6,795
22 Jul 2021 #29
I bought the israeli ogorki today and jon was right, in the ingredients they list acetic acid and firming agent.

Take a look and tell us what the sodium (salt) content is in that can of dill pickles you bought.
Right up there with the worst of sauerkraut and tomato sauce.
This is why I don't buy canned vegetables and have switched to frozen or can my own.

If you've got fresh horseradish, put a bit in the jar.

Will do as I always start with a fresh grape leaf in the bottom of the jar with a clove of fresh garlic and some fresh dill.
mafketis 36 | 10,706
22 Jul 2021 #30
Pickled things are popular in Hungary too and compared to Poland I noticed they pickle lots more different things (including paprika stuffed with sauerkraut, cauliflower and even baby melons!.... whole!)

On the other hand there's less variety of tastes (everything I had had a sweet taste like bread and butter pickles).

One place in the market on Hold utca (Moon street) had whole pickled plums but with a clove of garlic where the seed would usually be... weirdly delicious but they had left the market the last time I was there.....

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