Pickled cucumber PL.JPG

Pickled cucumbers are made in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Cucumbers undergo a typical lactic acid fermentation and change from a pale to a darker green and a more transparent product. Khalpi is a cucumber pickle popular during the summer months in Nepal.

Raw material preparation[edit | edit source]

The cucumbers need to be selected and prepared. Only fully ripe cucumbers without bruising or damage should be used. All the cucumbers need to be washed in potable cold water and drained. The cucumbers can be pickled whole or sliced. With khalpi, the cucumbers are washed, sliced, and cut into 5-8cm pieces.

Processing[edit | edit source]

1 kg of salt is added to every 20kg of small cucumbers and 15 kg of large cucumbers. The brine should be formed within 24 hours by osmosis. If the brine formed by osmosis does not cover the cucumbers 40o Salometer brine is added to the desired level. A day or two after the tank is filled and closed the brine should be stirred in order to help equalize the concentration of salt throughout the mass.

As soon as the brine is formed, fermentation starts and bubbles of carbon dioxide appear. Fermentation takes between one and four weeks depending on the ambient temperature. Fermentation is complete when no more bubbles appear.

During fermentation, the brine becomes cloudy for the first few days due to the growth of bacteria. Later if the brine is not covered, a filmy yeast growth will often occur on the surface.

Flow diagram
Selection⇓ Only ripe cucumbers should be selected
Wash⇓ In clean water
Mix with salt⇓ 1kg salt for 15-20kg of cucumbers
Ferment⇓ For between one and four weeks
Package

Packaging and storage[edit | edit source]

The pickle can now be packaged. Cucumber pickle is usually in clean jars and capped. This keeps well if stored in a cool place. Due to the high acid level of the final product, the risk of food poisoning is low. With khalpi in Nepal, oil is added.

References and further reading[edit | edit source]

Pickled Vegetables (Practical Action Technical Brief)

Pickled Fruits Practical Action Technical Brief

Pickled Cabbage (Kimchi) Practical Action Technical Brief

Pickled Dry Salted Limes Practical Action Technical Brief

FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Part of Practical Action Technical Briefs
Keywords pickling, cucumbers, food conservation
Authors Steven Medina
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Organizations Practical Action
Ported from https://practicalaction.org/ (original)
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 2 pages link here
Impact 326 page views
Created April 8, 2009 by Steven Medina
Modified February 28, 2024 by Felipe Schenone
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