{"id":2480,"date":"2014-05-08T15:01:25","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T15:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/?p=2480"},"modified":"2014-05-08T15:12:41","modified_gmt":"2014-05-08T15:12:41","slug":"tea-cucumber-pickles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/tea-cucumber-pickles\/","title":{"rendered":"Tea-Soaked Refrigerator Pickles"},"content":{"rendered":"

When pickles and tea are put together in the same sentence, one might think of lahpet thoke<\/a><\/em>, the Burmese pickled tea salad I first savored at San Francisco restaurant Burma Superstar<\/a>. Or perhaps one\u2019s favorite victuals\u2014I for one love pickles and<\/em> tea, but usually consumed separately.<\/p>\n

\"3<\/a>

3 cute cukes just waiting to be pickled<\/p><\/div>\n

In our pursuit to come up with a new name for this blog, Smithsonian curator Adriel Luis and I brainstormed many permutations and combinations. Some were too long, others too obvious, and then there were names that were too one-track. We wanted a name that would be relevant to all Asian Pacific American cultures. After a week of back-and-forths, we hit upon “Pickles and Tea”\u2014short and sweet, easy to remember, and who in their right mind would say \u2018no\u2019 to pickles and tea?<\/p>\n

One of the first things I did was to Google \u201cpickles and tea\u201d to see what would surface. In all the randomness that popped up, I found references to several sites that talked about adding tea to pickles. Who knew right?<\/p>\n

It turns out that tannins keep your pickles crisp, and tea contains tannins! While the common tannin-packed ingredients for pickling are fresh grape or horseradish leaves, tea is a lot more accessible declares this blogger<\/a> and rightly so.<\/p>\n

\"Pickles<\/a>

Pickles and tea meet in a jar\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

This trick, however, seems to apply to lacto-fermented pickles. Lacto-fermentation requires only salt, vegetables and water. The salt wipes out all the bad bacteria, leaving the good guys\u2014lactobacillus, the same bacteria in yogurt\u2014to produce fermented foods. Kimchi (as well as traditional dill pickles and sauerkraut) falls under this category.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, I started thinking about possibilities. I\u2019m not concerned about keeping my pickles crisp. I find that a sprinkling of salt and\/or using crisp, seedless cucumbers like Persian ones do the trick. Instead, I wondered how adding tea might affect the flavor.<\/p>\n

I rummaged through my pantry and pulled out a\u00a0looseleaf Formosa oolong tea called Tung Ting<\/em> from Red Blossom Tea Company<\/a>. Oolong tea, with its subtle fragrance and not-too-bitter profile, would be perfect!<\/p>\n

\"As<\/a>

These tightly curled\u00a0tea leaves will unfurl in the brine\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

My mom\u2019s pickle recipe is my go-to recipe. She often adds bird\u00a0chilies, garlic or ginger to the mix and uses every vegetable currently in her kitchen–everything from cauliflower to carrots. Sometimes I follow suit. This time, I decided to keep it simple with just cucumbers, vinegar, water, sugar and tea leaves.<\/p>\n

After an hour of brining, I could taste just a hint of oolong in a crunchy cuke. The next day, the tea\u2019s flavor and fragrance came through boldly, yet still delicate and not overpowering.<\/p>\n

So in honor of the launch of “Pickles and Tea,” the blog, I present pickles and tea, the recipe. Like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or sea salt and dark chocolate, they do make a \u201cwho\u2019d have thunk it?\u201d pair but it works, no?<\/p>\n

How do you like your pickles?<\/strong><\/p>\n

~~~<\/p>\n

Tea-Soaked Refrigerator Pickles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"two<\/a>
\nChoose a tea with a lightly-nuanced flavor that you like, preferably looseleaf, but if not, find a bagged tea with almost-whole tea leaves instead of tea \u201cdust\u201d aka Lipton. These teas tend to be of higher quality. That being said, I probably wouldn\u2019t use strongly-scented teas like Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong, although jasmine might work.<\/p>\n

Makes: about 1 quart pickles
\nTime: 15 minutes active, plus 30 minutes sitting time<\/p>\n

2 medium cucumbers, or 4 Persian cucumbers
\n1 teaspoon salt
\n\u00bd cup white distilled vinegar
\n\u00bd cup water
\n6 tablespoons sugar
\n1 teaspoon mildly flavored looseleaf tea such as an oolong<\/p>\n

Peel the cucumbers with a vegetable peeler in alternating strips of green. You don\u2019t have to but it\u2019s pretty! Halve them lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon (this step isn\u2019t necessary with Persian cucumbers.) Cut them crosswise into 1\/2-inch slices.<\/p>\n\n\t\t