Can Babies Eat Pickles?

A pickled cucumber, or simply known as a pickle, or a gherkin is actually a cucumber, which was pickled in vinegar, a brine or some other solution and which fermented over a specific  period of time. According to one myth, pickled cucumbers were first made for the workers building the Great Wall of China, but some claim that pickled cucumbers were first prepared in the Tigris Valley of Mesopotamia, made from cucumbers brought back from India.

There is a specialty in Hungary, the so called “kovászos uborka”, which means leavened pickles and it is made without vinegar, mostly made during the summer. They put cucumbers in a glass vessel, and they add spices like dill and garlic, water, salt and a few slices of bread, leaving this mixture to sit in the sun for a couple of days, in order for the yeast in the slices of bread to increase the fermentation process. Hungarians also make the traditional pickled cucumbers during most of the year.

Gherkins, also called baby pickles, are the small cucumbers usually used for pickling. Cornichons are tart French pickles gotten from gherkins pickled in the combination of vinegar and tarragon.

Kosher dill pickle is one made in the traditional Jewish way but with an addition of dill and garlic.

Pickles are often served as a side dish, but they are also used as an ingredient in hamburgers and hot dogs.

Pickles are an excellent source for vitamin K, but they are high in sodium, which makes them less healthy.

Are Pickles Healthy For Your Baby?

Pickles are high in sodium and salty food should be avoided to be given to babies, but giving pickles to your baby two times a month especially when his teeth come, might alleviate teething pain, being a cold and to chew food. You can offer pickled cucumbers to your baby at the age of 6 months old. It is not recommended to give pickle juice to babies, because it will fill their stomach and they won’t be eating more important and nutritious food.

Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients: 1 large cucumber, with its ends trimmed and cut in half widthways and spiralized into thick ribbons, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp coriander seeds, a smaller handful of dill.

Put the cucumber ribbons with the salt in a colander. Leave for about 15 minutes and afterwards squeeze out the excess of moisture then pat the ribbons dry with a kitchen towel. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and stir in the cucumbers.