Note that Wiki also says that likely the recipe is much older.....and the only thing Wiki knows is what people tell it....not always correct information.If the story is true about the Fannings originating the name, It sure did spread fast without national advertising nor TV nor...facebook>From 1924 being patented by a family in Streator Illinois to being published as a recipe in a cookbook published in Boston Massachusettes in 18 years, seems improbable.I don't doubt they patented a recipe by that name, but I contend "Bread and butter pickles" was part of the vernacular describing a simple sliced sweet pickle, long before the Fannings got a patent. If the cucumber is too large, over 2 inches across, the pickling solution is not able to penetrate the core properly. If a noncloudy appearance is desired, a fresh brine can be used to pack the pickles when they are … Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2- 3 hours. Combine cucumbers, onion, garlic, and peppers in a bowl, sprinkle kosher salt over the top and stir … I always have Bread and Butter Pickles on hand but never made a sandwich with just the Pickles . – Make It 30 My favorite pickle. Pickles go back a long way. Every patch of dirt had some sort of vegetable growing. nothing quite like them. The Best Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe – EVER!!! Then he made up some story (I can't remember) about why there weren't any cucumber sandwiches for her, but she saw right through his lies. Can anyone help with an answer to that? A lot of foods were pickled, to preserve them. This looks like a great recipe! Place the cucumber, onion and salt into a bowl stirring the salt to coat the vegetables. I don't know about other brands, because the exact flavor is probably important. Of course I have had cucumber sandwiches and probably made dozens of them over the years, but it never occurred to me that Bread & Butter pickles would be used in the same manner. I don't know the origins of the pickle name but cucumber sandwiches are alive and well in American tearooms. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. White Flower Farms in Litchfield, Connecticut is famous for their annual spring sale featuring bread, butter, & cucumber sandwiches while people stroll the gardens. In which one writer seeks to understand the Depression-era (maybe?) I always thought the cucumber sandwich was an English influence because my mother was from Canada and I don't remember other families in our neighborhood ever eating cucumber sandwiches like we did. Saveur may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Why are They Called Bread and Butter Pickles? They have a distinct, slightly tangy taste. It appears that Bread and Butter Pickles may have originated with an Omar and Cora Fanning in Illinois. Another story has to do with some lady who made them for a store and traded them for staple supplies, like bread and butter. "We have bread and butter and dill pickles!" Actually, the roasted and peeled chestnuts from Trader Joe's. They are a little sweet and a little sour. Forget about choice of aioli, or did you want roast tri tip or smoked turkey; back then it was more like, “Did you want cucumbers in your sandwich, or nothing in your sandwich?” What are the odds?Jane. Bread and butter pickles were invented by Omar and Cora Fanning in 1920 by a husband and wife farmer team in Illinois. Backyard gardens often produced more cucumbers than any family could eat in one season. I don't like sweet and sour pickles! Many people wonder, why are they called ‘bread and butter pickles’? A fermented food was almost always served with a meal (sweet pickles, dill pickles, pickled beets, even sweet & sour sliced cucumbers in vinegar/sugar...). The "pickle" in Victorian times was generally pickled onions, or a piccalilli type pickle. In an old Raggedy Ann book I have, RA and Andy encounter some pirate girls who have stolen Babette the French doll. I call them "sugar pickles". I agree with sushi.....but think the term originated earlier than the depression. They got the name "bread and butter" during the great depression when fresh cucumbers were eaten for lunch with bread and butter, and a cheap source of what was considered a vegetable back in the day. Thanks so much for the information. And a nice contrast to bread, cheese, peppers, etc. I once accidentally bought a jar of Bubbie's and opened them before realizing. Bread and Butter Pickles. Cucumbers are easy to grow and prolific, so they … According to some sources, they were used as a common sandwich filling served with bread and butter during the Depression. According to Wikipedia: The origin of the name is attributed to Omar and Cora Fanning, a pair of Illinois cucumber farmers who started selling sweet and sour pickles in the 1920s and filed for the trademark “Fanning’s Bread and Butter Pickles… The onions are a nice complement to the pickles and also look great in the pickle jar. And that movie is what I always think of when I hear of cucumber sandwiches. I have totally changed my mind about bread and butter pickles. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. I've never made them with bread and butter pickles but have made cucumber sandwiches at home too. Bread & Butter Pickles – One of the Great Depression’s Greatest Hits During the Great Depression, sandwiches weren’t quite what they are today. Omar and Cora, though, commercialized the pickle with the “Bread and Butter” name in the early 1920s, applying for a trademark on the logo for the pickles in 1923. What a lost culture. ANSWER 0 cinny ANSWERS: 1. You will find them on the menu in restaurants or Tea Rooms serving Afternoon Tea. The words "Bread & Butter" refer to the taste and not the preparation method. So people used them in sandwiches of bread and butter because that’s all they could afford. If so, it would be clever, because bread and butter are a basic part of any old shopping list, so bread and butter pickles implies you should have pickles in your shopping basket as a matter of course. Lots of gardens grown then also. They’re also referred to as “new dills.” Sweet: These pickles are made in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, water, and spices. Bread and butter pickles are just a recipe for a sweet sour pickle. I would assume that your mother made the cucumber sandwiches - I was referring to never having seen them on a menu. In fermented or crock pickles, the most common reason for hollow pickles is improper curing. Bread and butter was a staple at meals, kind of food extenders, to make the small amounts go further, add pickles to the mix, bread and butter and pickles. I was always intrigued by them whenever I would hear about them while watching an English movie - I think they are mentioned in The Importance of Being Ernest, but I had always thought that cucumber or watercress sandwiches were something of a joke and not something that anyone actually ate! Reply. Even lettuce sandwiches. (cue the Twilight Zone music!). I call this recipe Granny’s Bread and Butter Pickles. That's what my grandma always said, also because they were so easy to make, like bread, and butter. And yes, we had them with bread and butter when the pickles were freshly made, and the bottle opened warm, between two slices of bread and butter. I've read some books by Anne Perry recently, set during the Victorian reign, and "pickle" was always on the table. While we know now that cooking destroys many of the vitamins in any food product- back then they did not know that. Supposedly they got their name because during the Great Depression, they were a cheap staple in households. Fresh pack or quick process pickles are not fermented. When I lived in France, my cousins (deportation camp survivors originally from Germany) served bread and butter pickles, pickled beets, and other pickled vegetables with different kinds of French breads and butter as an appetizer before meals. I don’t think anyone eats bread and butter pickles for the health benefits. A lady would deliver a jar of these homemade pickles to her hostess, along with or in lieu of a formal "bread and butter" thank you letter. Some restaurants did that, too, although I cannot recall ever hearing how they were named. According to egullet.com, bread and butter pickles are named such because during the Depression, they were as regular a part of a diet as bread and butter. And I’m gonna show you my little secret. My favorite were the bread and butter pickles, spicy and crisp… tangy almost. Midway between dainty afternoon tea and grab-and-go farmhouse lunch, Amy Theilen’s pickle sandwich is an under-the-radar fixture of American home snacking. Although Mrs. Fanning's pickles began in the Midwest, they are not widely distributed there, but are more readily found in the Eastern, Southern and Western states." Here is a link that might be useful: Cooks Info - bread and butter pickles. staple. The difference between bread and butter pickles and sweet pickles is just a few ingredients. Yum, I love some homemade pickles! Bread and butter pickles, unlike some other varieties, can be eaten within a few days of canning, and they do not require a lengthy time on the shelf to intensify their flavor. I make these – A LOT. They may very well be common here, and I just never have happened to see them. I hate bread and butter pickles but I made these for my husband. So I was wondering why they are called bread and butter pickles. Alexandria, Virginia. Those three things were always placed on the table no matter what else was being served. So few people enjoy tea any more - it's now really just tea-shops and very expensive high end hotels that do tea any more although I'm told that garden centres do a good tea these days! I don't remember the exact dialog but I do remember it being pretty entertaining. And a question that DH asked me just last week,too. They … The evidence presented at the link Grainlady provided many years ago is convincing. American Spirit. I think probably during the depression which was directly prior to the war. they skite. This sounds potentially apocryphal, though the evidence is clear that the Fannings were the first to sell them, and that they were different from other sweet pickles; also that the recipe had been in the Fanning family for a couple of generations, so while they may have been unusual, they were probably not unique. Tips for Canning Bread & Butter Pickles We lived on raw cucumber sandwiches (bread/butter/cucumber slices and salt and pepper) for lunch, as well as tomato sandwiches (not BLT, just bread/butter/sliced tomatoes/salt and pepper) all summer long, growing up in Kansas. But what then to do with the leftover garden produce?? Not wanting to waste anything they took the cucumbers they grew that were too small to sell and made them into sweet and tart pickles. Anything else on the table? I ate cucumber sandwiches frequently growing up. Pickle it! They are still served all over the country as "tea sandwiches". Was brought up on cuke sarnies as a child in England. Rinse the cucumber mixture in a colander and pat dry with paper towel to remove all excess water. I was born & raised in California. I always buy their dills (better than any other I've found) and the B&B's are really good, too. I remember an elderly neighbor when I was about 12 eating garlic sandwiches. And I could snack on them all day long. Bubbie's are sugary tasting and otherwise mild. If you go to a tea garden in California, it will be either Japanese or Chinese - not English! What they had going for them, however, was a reliable crop of cucumbers and Mrs. Fanning's great recipe for sweet & sour pickle chips. -- Feingold News. Inspiration for dinner time under the stars, Inspiration for making that best pizza ever, Natural Swimming Pools: More Beauty, No Chemicals, The Contemplative Garden: A Place for Quiet Reflection, View all Gardening and Landscaping Stories. To wit: "Bread and Butter" is a name given to the pickles by Mrs. Fanning's Pickles, when applying for a trademark. It … The League of Kitchens’ Online Classes are the Multicultural Cooking School You’ve Been Waiting For, Our 20 Favorite Cookbooks to Gift This Year, Roasted Cod with a Cilantro Crust (Samak mashew bil cozbara w al limon), Baked Fish in Tahini Sauce (Siniyet samak bil tahineh), 31 Excellent Bottles to Stock a Better Home Bar in 2020, Palestinian Pantry Staples We Can’t Live Without, Falastin: Equal Parts Cookbook and Conversation Starter, Orange- and Herb-Roasted Spatchcock Chicken, Raising the Bar: What the World Can Learn From Italy About Enjoying Food and Drinks. Well, of course it never occurred to me why they are called bread and butter pickles, duh. Most working people bought their meals from carts on the street - a piece of cheese, some bread, and "pickle"; or a meat sandwich or meat pie with "pickle". Mrs. Fanning worked out an agreement with a local grocer, who gave her groceries -- including bread 'n butter -- in exchange for the pickles. Always had to eat the savoury before the sweet at tea-time! So after reading that, I tried some of these pickles on a piece of bread with some butter… The contemporary descriptions call them "sweet and sour". Interesting discussion. It was always my understanding that Bread & Butter pickles got their name from folks in the 1920's who used their so called Sweet & Sour pickles to barter for staples like bread and butter, so they were eventually called Bread & Butter pickles. The tea garden in San Antonio was also originally Japanese. Bread and Butter Pickles became quickly popular in the 1920s, alternately being marketed as “old-fashioned” and “the latest thin… Bread and butter pickles are believed to have benefit to promote digestion. I can't but I am shaking my head in disbelief, as my daughter asked the very same question last night! I haven't seen them on the West Coast either, and so I think they are mainly an East Coast-Midwest-Southern type of dish. With Bubbie's pickle chips. They were midwestern cucumber farmers in the early 1900s who became quite famous for their sweet-and-sour pickles. :). And then there is pickled eel?? Available in smooth- or waffle-cut chips or chunks. Promotes Digestion. I take it that bread and butter were cheap and available at that time. October 1996. He was hungry and ate them all up even though they were meant for his Aunt who was coming to visit. I've been making fermented pickles, but I haven't gotten the spices/herbs right yet. Bread & Butter - Sweet, thinly-sliced pickles made from cucumbers, onions and chopped green or red peppers. Judges called them "an essential ingredient for a great cheeseburger." The Little Gourmand has decided he likes them and asked me why they were called Bread & Butter pickles. I reread all of the posts this morning from this resurrected thread, and took out my old cookbooks and found recipes for Bread & Butter Pickles pre-depression, but not WWI era, so after a little searching on the internet found this bit of information: In the early part of the [Ed: 20th] century Cora and Omar Fanning of Streator, IL found themselves short on cash. I just looked in a couple of old cookbooks....and in the Boston cookbook 1942 edition, there was a recipe for bread and butter pickles....but in another edition dated 1914 there wasn't such a recipe.I think it unlikely that bread and butter pickles were a depression thing... and made it into a cook book that quickly. I certainly never add sugar or anything sweet to them. They got the name "bread and butter" during the great depression when fresh cucumbers were eaten for lunch with bread and butter, and a cheap source of what was considered a vegetable back in the day. So they picked and pickled them- adapting and using old recipes that would appeal to their children's pallets, (always a huge concern). Historically, Germans and Italians have outnumbered the English in the number of immigrants who came here. The story attached to the nameis that the Fannings survived rough years by making the pickles with their surplus of undersized cucumbers and bartering them with their grocer for staples such as bread and butter. I think that the pickles as we know them originate from India. The best! While fermenting pickles, the brine might become cloudy due to lactic acid bacteria growth during the fermentation period. Place the cucumber, onion and salt into a bowl stirring the salt to coat the vegetables. So they used the bread and butter pickle as a substitute for fresh cucumber sandwiches. albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft. I tried to make some years ago, but they weren't very crunchy. Supposedly the name goes back to the Depression era, when food was scarce. They are perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or snacked right out of the jar. I do not like any sweet cucumber pickles, and now I make my own, although I admit that Clauson dill pickles are better than mine. While there is no definitive answer, we pose two possibilities: One dates back to the Great Depression era because pickles were an affordable staple to have on hand in many households. DH grew up in Southern California, as did his parents, and grandparents.