Product Description

Gherkins, also called cornichons,[9] baby dills, or baby pickles, are small, whole, unsliced cucumbers, typically those 1 inch (2.5 cm) to 5 inches (13 cm) in length, often with bumpy skin, and pickled in variable combinations of brine, vinegar, spices, and sugar.[10][11][12] In the United Kingdom, gherkins may be prepared predominantly in vinegar, imparting an acidic flavor "punch" as a side-dish for meals.[13] Although gherkins may be grown in greenhouses,[10] they are commonly grown as a field crop, processed locally, and packaged in jars in Canada, the United States, and India.[11][12][14] India, Turkey, Ukraine and Mexico compete as producers for the global gherkin market, with the European Union, United States, Canada, and Israel as major importers.[15] The word gherkin derived in the mid-17th century from early modern Dutch, gurken or augurken for "small pickled cucumber".[16] The term, West Indian gherkin, has been applied to Cucumis anguria L., a related species of Cucumis sativus, the most common cucumber plant.[17]