The gherkin, as trivial as it may sound, is an essential part of Polish culture. If you ask a Polish person living abroad what they miss, you’re likely to hear ‘real gherkins’ as one of the top three things.

What are ‘real gherkins’, though? They’re gherkins that are ‘really pickled’ of course! They spend much more time in the pickle jar than the kind of gherkins that you get in most countries in the world. These widespread ‘semi-pickled’ gherkins are what Polish people call ogórki konserwowe or ogórki małosolne. But for some Polish people that’s just not pickled enough.

If you fancy making a jar of pickles yourself, the website Never a Dull Day in Poland has an easy-to-follow recipe. You can pickle them for as long as you wish – the longer the better if you’re after ‘real gherkins’ (ogórki kiszone)!

Once they’re ready, you can eat them in a traditional way, if you wish – with your hands.

However, I wouldn’t go as far as sticking your hands in a pickle jar when you’re shopping (see video below).