New York City from a Pickled Perspective

Christopher Columbus not only sailed the ocean blue but he was the first to bring pickles to The New World. By the early sixteen hundreds, New York City had the largest concentration of commercial picklers. In 1895, 47 years prior to the introduction of Vlasic's well known pickles, picklers began opening pickle shops along Ludlow Street in the lower east side of New York City. In over 200 pickle shops, pickles were cured in large barrels filled with a variety of flavored brines.  Picklers would travel the northeast selling their pickle selections at weekend street fairs. 

This little bit of pickle history comes courtesy of the New York Food Museum, which hosts a Pickle Day every year. This year Pickle Day will take place on October 4th, 2009 on Broome between Essex and Ludlow. Since Pickle Day is still a few months away I decided to take my own pickle tour during a recent visit to New York City. 

I am a HUGE fan of pickles. Therefore, when I read about New York City's pickle history I thought it would be a fantastic experience to wander around one of my favorite cities, trying different flavors of home-cured pickles that have made Ludlow Street famous. What I found was a pickle lovers paradise. Being someone who has grown up with Vlasic and Claussen I was fascinated by the barrels and barrels of flavored pickles. I am now well aware that a pickle is not just a dill pickle. There are so many flavors of pickles that you can fill a small warehouse full of barrels, all different flavors. For all of you pickle lovers I highly suggest taking your own walking tour of New York City's pickle gems. The picklers that you will meet at each of these pickle shops are often 3rd generation picklers who have great stories to tell. 

These days there are not many pickle shops left on Ludlow Street. Many of the famous pickle stalls have closed their doors or moved to the outskirts of the city. However, there are a few gems that have withstood the years of changing tastes in pickles. Following are a few pickle shops that offer a great pickled perspective on New York City:

Pickle guys

49 Essex Street (corner of Essex and Grand)

Guss' Pickles

87 Orchard Street (corner of Broome and Orchard)

Katz's Deli - not a pickle shop but this famous deli offers great pickles alongside a fantastic slice of corned beef

205 E. Houston Street (corner of Ludlow and Houston)

Just Pickles

569 9th Avenue (corner of 9th and 42nd)