Tidbit #6

Although belated, I hope
it's a good one.

Pickles.I absolutely adore pickles.

Especially Dill Spears.

In fact we like them so much at our house we buy them by the gallon.

We were watching "Good Eats," a great show on the Food
Network. When Alton Brown covers recipes, he covers the history and the chemical reasons
behind the food. Great show. That's the show that taught me about Macaroni and
Cheese.

Anyway, the history of pickles is fascinating. Who likes pickles? Every
generation since 4400 BC has had something to do with pickles. The highlights are:

-Julius Caesar's troops were fed pickled cucumbers as nutritional
supplements while on duty. As were Napoleon's troops, and US soldiers during WWII. Cool
huh?

-Pickles in America were a favorite of guess who? THOMAS JEFFERSON!! Cold
crisp tart pickles on a hot Virginia day. He just keeps proving to be my favorite historical
figure. Many of other prominent men of the time also liked pickles. Yummy.

There are many recipes on Food
Network.

When I return to Virginia I
might have to buy a cookbook at Thomas Jefferson's Home, Monticello.

This is a link to a
more fleshed out history of pickles.
Pickle Time
Line