Pickled on a menu means vegetables, fruit or eggs kept in a sour, usually salty liquid, and the word covers two different methods. Quick or fresh-pack pickles get their sourness from vinegar and are not fermented, while classic dill pickles and sauerkraut ferment for weeks as acidity builds up[1]. Either way, pickles usually arrive as a side, condiment or garnish that cuts through rich food. Before ordering, ask whether the house pickles are vinegar or fermented, how spicy they are, and whether fish sauce or shrimp goes in.
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What to order
- Kimchi — Korean fermented vegetables, usually napa cabbage, radish or cucumber seasoned with red pepper, onion and garlic, served alongside the meal[2]. Ask whether it comes with the meal or is charged as a separate dish.
- Sauerkraut — white cabbage layered with salt and left to ferment, a staple of central European cooking[3]. Sour rather than spicy, and a good match for sausages and pork.
- Tsukemono — Japanese pickles eaten as easy side dishes with a staple food. Takuan is dried daikon pickled in rice-bran paste, while vinegar pickles do not ferment because acetic acid stops microbes from multiplying[4].
- Escabeche — a marinade of oil, wine or vinegar, bay leaf and other ingredients used to preserve and flavor fish and other foods; in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and a few other countries the word also simply means pickled vegetables[5].
- Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon (đồ chua) — the shredded side on cơm tấm rice plates, and part of the pickled vegetables packed into bánh mì[6]. Ask whether chili is added if you want it mild.
- House pickles — a small plate of the kitchen’s own pickles to share against fried, grilled or fatty dishes. Ask which vegetables are in it, whether it is vinegar or fermented, and whether there is chili.
Frequently asked questions
Are pickled and fermented the same thing?
Not always. Vinegar pickles are acidified right away and do not ferment, while fermented pickles turn sour because salt lets helpful bacteria grow and crowd out others[1]. Kimchi and sauerkraut sit in the fermented group, which is why they also appear on the fermented page. Menus rarely say which method was used, so ask if it matters to you.
Are pickles high in sodium?
Often. FDA names pickles among foods that taste salty and are high in sodium[7]. Vinegar pickles can be made with less salt, but in fermented pickles and sauerkraut the salt is essential to safety and texture, so those cannot simply be made low-salt[1]. If you are limiting sodium, treat pickles as a garnish rather than a side you finish.
Do Korean or Vietnamese pickles contain fish or shellfish?
Some do. Kimchi is sometimes seasoned with dried salted shrimp, anchovy paste or oysters[2], and Vietnamese rice plates usually come with a dipping sauce made with fish sauce[6]. If you avoid fish or shellfish, ask what goes into both the pickle and the sauce, and whether a vegetable-only version exists. Only the kitchen can confirm, so for a serious allergy speak with staff in person.
How spicy are pickled side dishes?
It depends on the style. Kimchi is a spicy dish seasoned with red pepper[2], and Sichuan pickled vegetables or a kitchen’s own chili pickles can be hot as well. Others are mainly sour or salty. Ask about heat before you order a full portion, or taste a little first.
Related guides
Sources
- National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia, USDA NIFA-supported). General Information on Pickling. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Kimchi. Accessed
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Sauerkraut. Accessed
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF). Pickled | Traditional Foods in Japan. Accessed
- Real Academia Española (Diccionario de la lengua española). escabeche. Accessed
- Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. 21 must-try Vietnamese dishes. Accessed
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sodium in Your Diet. Accessed