Happy National Pickle Day

Happy National Pickle Day. Here are some facts about pickles.

• The term pickle comes from the Dutch word pekel, meaning brine.  In the United States, the word pickle typically refers to a pickled cucumber.
• Pickles are old as shit. The exact date of the first pickle is up for debate with some believing the first pickle was created in Mesopotamia in 2400 B.C.E. and others believing it was as early as 2030 B.C.E.
• The most popular type of pickle is the kosher dill.
• Cleopatra attributed her good looks to her diet of pickles.
• Julius Caesar fed pickles to his troops believing that they lent physical and spiritual strength.
• The phrase “in a pickle” was first introduced by Shakespeare in his play The Tempest in 1611. Alonso asks Trinculo, “How camest thou in this pickle?” to which Trinculo responds, “I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last that, I fear me, will never out of my bones: I shall not fear fly-blowing.”
• According to the U.S. Supreme Court, pickles are technically a “fruit” of the vine (like tomatoes), but they are generally known as a vegetable.
• During WWII the U.S. Government set aside 40 percent of all pickle production for the ration kits of the armed forces.
• Each year in the United States 5,200,000 pounds of pickles are consumed.
• Americans consume about 9 pounds of pickles per person every year.
• Pickle juice, aka pickle back, is a fantastic chaser for whiskey.
• In Connecticut in order for a pickle to officially be considered a pickle, it must bounce.
• National Pickle Day started in 1949 with the encouragement from the Pickle Packers Association.