h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The dill pickles in Aldi are sweeter I meant. If they carry the German ones.

I am more used to very sharp pickles, the type that Amy was talking about - that's why I don't eat them here, they're not very nice

Sorry Lady Scott I have to disagree with your statement.

I have just been shopping in one of the specialty shops here (Trinidad & Tobago) that cater for the expat community & lo & Behold there on the bottom shelf I found one jar of Roland Kosher Dill pickles from the USA.

I have judt opened the jar and tasted one (Heaven first since Christmas) & they taste exactly the same as the European (Krakus) ones I am used to. Not sharp at all, nice and sweet.

See here. http://www.rolandfood.com/#1207406641693

Dill pickles are savory; this is the way of things, and anyone who says different is very confused . Sandwich pickles are sweet (and, in my humble opinion, nasty). I'm hunting the savory ones that taste of dill and garlic.

The ones over here aren't sweet like the sweet pickles you mentioned, but they are most definitely not sour or pickly like onions are in the UK.

But it's a herb (Dill) that I can't stand. It smells, and tastes of the smell of, cat's wee.

It tastes lovely, in fact.

bleuch!

each to his own.

Did you find what you wanted, anyway?

Haven't had the chance to go looking yet (busy busy). Going for a big food shop tomorrow, though, so hopefully will find some then.

DIY. I like pickled carrots, we do them on the stove top. Here is a method for cucumbers/dill pickles:

http://earthboundkitchen.com/?p=139

Highamexpat: I just went to the Roland site and looked through the ingredients on all of their dill pickles. According to their site, the closest one to what is generally sold as dill pickles in the US (and the closest to the ones I'd made for Amy as she was growing up) is the Kosher Whole Dill pickles. No sugar in the list of ingredients on the website, so I don't know why yours would have a sweet flavor, rather than a sharp flavor. Does the label on your jar have sugar listed in the ingredients?

...But I know from experience that food processors change their recipes all the time, so they could very well have added sugar to the ingredients at some point, neglecting to update the website.

The Dill Sandwich Slices sound more like what's called "bread and butter" pickles around here - sweet and spicy. The Dill Chips sound like just a basic non-sweet pickle. I have a recipe for a basic kosher pickle sort of like that one - no sugar added. That sort of thing would probably be an acceptable substitute for dill pickles in the chicken salad.

I suspect that even though you bought your pickles from a shop that carries US products, the difference might just be that they're made in Turkey (according to their website), instead of the US, since recipes for what's called the same thing often varies in other countries. For that matter, it can vary in other states in the US, or even vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Having said all that, I buy Vlasic Kosher Dills, because they're closest to my homemade Dills. There are a lot of dill pickles made in the US that have a bit of sugar in the ingredients, but they don't necessarily have a noticeably sweet taste to them (to most people anyway - I don't buy them because I know I'd notice it).

I've never seen Roland pickles in any of the stores around here. Usually Roland products in our local grocery stores are just specialty "gourmet" items like artichoke hearts, not commonly available items like pickles, of which there are a dozen or more brands on the shelves.

Lady Scott just got online. 6am here. I'll list the ingredients. I have no knowlege as to what makes a food Kosher or Unkosher but as far as i can recall to be called Kosher it has to be decreed so by a Rabbi or the like.

Fresh Cucumbers
Water
Vinegar
Salt
Garlic
Calcium Chloride
Polysorbate 80
Natural Flavours
Turmeric
Oleoresin

The Garlic & dill can be seen floating around in the Jar. & also on the jar, (I noticed the Turkey reference too), it says Product of India.

I just had a thought though. It appears to be down to ones perception of the vinegar. One thing I have noticed is that down here where most items like vinrgar are imported from the states the supermarkets only sell white vinrgar.

in the UK we rarely use it and prefer the very sour/bitter brown malt vinegar. Now that is very sharp on the tongue compared with the Dill pickles vinegar. If you taste an English Gurkin & then a Dill pickle they are like chalk and Cheese. Maybe just maybe that is the problem.

I suppose we'll have to wait until the outcome of the shopping session which hopefully will bear fruits, or dill pickles at least.

Well, I looked in the local Sainsbury's. And while they did have Dill Pickles (two varieties!), the third ingredient was sugar in both and thus I was a bit wary of buying them in case I'd find them utterly unpalatable.

I suspect I may have to make my own to get the flavor I want.

Buy one & try it. Nothing Ventured, Nothing gained as they say.

Two or three quid lost, however, and I have pickles I can't do anything with.

Student budget = no taking risks on food.

Come on Now. is a quid going to break the bank???. You wanted them, we found them, now you say your scared in case you don't like them. I cannot believe it!!! this thread is doomed to death until you buy & try I feel. Student budget used to = beer when I was doing it plus keeping a wife and young baby.

Take a chance! What's life without risk? Live on the edge a little.

Umm... She said 3rd ingredient was sugar.

The first two ingredients should be cucumbers and vinegar, which means there's more sugar than salt. This means they're going to be sweeter rather than saltier. When I see US dill pickles with sugar in the list of ingredients, it's way down below the salt, dill, and garlic in the list.

I agree with her - she doesn't need to blow $4-$6 US funds (plus exchange rate charges) on a jar of pickles, which by the very list of ingredients is so obviously, *definitely* NOT the flavor she's interested in.

You will never know unless you try. All I know is the ones I found here from the USA & kosher do have a salty taste & are exactly the same as the ones back in the U.K.

You cannot definitely say it is not what Amy is looking for, and if she is not prepared to try then she obviously doesn't want them badly enough. they will probably cost less than a pint of Beer and students have no problem in buying plenty of that.

I don't think the ingrdients are listed in order of quantity of each type. It's just a list of what's in it, not in any particular order. I can't verify that at the moment as I am at work but will look tomorrow.

Actually, yes she can say because she knows. She is, in fact, my mother.

And also, I do not spend money going out as I do not drink except on very specific occasions; I am on international funds while in the UK and thus am extremely careful with the money I spend. I do not buy something which bears more than passing resemblence to what I'm actually after.

Also, ingredient lists are done by quantity the world over.

Amy, did you get any or are you still having that awful ex-pat "longing for what you can't have" thing?

Totally sympathise - what I want _right now_ is Wensleydale. And no chance of getting any