Fried pickles are a side dish and appetizer found commonly in the
Southern U.S. They are made by
deep-frying sliced
battered dill
Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring ...
pickles.
History
Fried pickles first appeared on the American culinary scene in the early 1960s. The first known fried pickle recipe was printed in the
Oakland Tribune
The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the '' East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ...
on November 19, 1962, for "French Fried Pickles", which called for using sweet pickle slices and pancake mix.
Fried dill pickles were popularized by Bernell "Fatman" Austin in 1964 at the Duchess Drive In located in
Atkins, Arkansas
Atkins is a city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,016 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Atkins is located at (35.243485, -92.938212).
According to the U ...
.
The Fatman's recipe is only known to his family and used once each year at the annual Picklefest in Atkins, held each May.
Fried pickles are served at food festivals and menus of individual and chain restaurants throughout the United States and elsewhere. They can be eaten as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to other dishes. Fried pickles are frequently served with a
ranch dressing
Ranch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, and herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion. Sour cre ...
or other creamy sauce for dipping. In 1963, before the culinary world knew of ranch dressing, the Fatman offered ketchup as a dipping sauce.
See also
*
List of deep fried foods
This is a list of deep fried foods and dishes. Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, such as cooking oil. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan, and industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum f ...
*
List of pickled foods
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fried Pickle
Snack foods
Cuisine of the Southern United States
Deep fried foods
Pickle dishes