Lisa
Gen Z has finally caught up to me. They have wholeheartedly embraced the humble dill pickle. It’s about time! Sour and tangy, the centuries-old pickle has been having its moment. Well, actually, the pickle craze has been building up for a few years fueled by social media.
I have always loved a good dill pickle. Sorry, Grandpa but the bread and butter pickles in your fridge never cut it for me. As a kid, I remember my dad would return from a six-and-a-half-hour drive back to his hometown of Philadephia with a large duffle bag jam-packed with his favorite and nostalgic childhood treats – massive Jewish dill pickles and TastyKakes. Both of which he would hoard and dole out to my brother and me only after much begging.
As a youngster my nickname was Pickles. Sadly, not because I loved pickles, but rather as a supposedly funny derivation of my last name. I never found it amusing. In fact, I hated it. Now, as a grown-up, I would relish that moniker. Yes. Pun intended.
My close friends are aware of my pickle preference and often gift me snacks that are pickle-flavored – sunflower seeds, pretzels, chips, popcorn, and more. My BFF recently texted me a recipe for pickle-flavored English muffins as well as a biscuit recipe with pickles in it. The recipe creator claimed that the brininess of the pickles created a very tender dough. Where have these been all my life?
For this year’s Super Bowl, my contribution to a friend’s gathering was my pickle dip. I’ve been making it for over a decade and I’m always shocked that most people have never had pickle dip. It was a huge hit. I made a double batch and kept a sizeable container for myself.
Pickle Dip
A tangy, creamy pickle dip perfect for snacking and parties.
Ingredients
1 cup 1 dill pickles
1 cup 1 cream cheese
1 cup 1 sour cream
1 tablespoon 1 dill weed
1 teaspoon 1 garlic powder
1 teaspoon 1 onion powder
1 teaspoon 1 salt
1 teaspoon 1 black pepper
2 dashes 2 Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup 1/3 Pickle Juice
Directions
- Drain any excess liquid from the pickles and reserve for later. Finely chop the dill pickles and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Use a hand mixer for a more consistent creamy texture.
- Add the chopped pickles, dill weed, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to the cream cheese mixture. Add The pickle juice a bit at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Mix thoroughly with a spatula or spoon until all ingredients are well combined and the pickles are evenly distributed in the dip.
- Transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve with potato chips, crackers, or fresh vegetables. Store any leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
My biggest tip is NEVER throw out your pickle juice. It’s so versatile for brining meats (chicken and pork), making cocktails, adding to mayo-based salads (potato, macaroni, and slaws) and so much more.
But the pickle concoctions mentioned above are pretty basic when you see how Gen Z has taken things up a notch.
Beverages
Non-Alcoholic -There are a growing number of choices of beverages including Dill Pickle Mountain Dew, Sonic’s Pickle Juice Slush, Pickle Dilluxe (a semi-savory sparkling water made with pickle brine), and pickle juice and Coke (Thanks, Due Lipa).
Alcoholic – Of course, there is the classic pickle martini or pickle back shot (whiskey, soda, and pickle juice), along with pickle beer, and canned pickle cocktails. Two Robbers x Grillo’s Pickle is a good canned cocktail. I’m a big Grillo’s fan. In addition, the Spritz Society announced the Spritz Society Pickle by Claussen as an April Fool's Day prank. However, so many wanted the pickle-infused sparkling wine cocktail, that it’s now an actual product.
And, after reading about several New York City bars including Hard Rock Hotel New York, Hidden Lane, Forgetmenot, Pando Park, and Pando 39 serving various pickle cocktails, I’m ready to book a flight to NYC.
Mainstream Food Makers
The pickle craze has inspired food giants to jump on the pickle bandwagon. DiGiorno has a Pineapple Pickle Pizza, Frank's RedHot introduced dill pickle hot sauce, and Heinz is selling pickle ketchup.
Pickle Fashion and Non-Edibles
The craze extends beyond food products to consumer goods. There are many pickle-scented candles. Bucket hats, T-shirts, and themed pickleball paddles are also available. A sweatshirt featuring different jars of pickles went viral.
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Social Media and Pickles
Reportedly on Etsy, there was a 41% increase in searches for pickle-related items and a 405% increase in searches for pickle kits in 2024. On TikTok, the hashtags #pickle and #pickles have a combined 9.6 billion views, thanks to an ever-lengthening list of viral pickle-related trends including “Girl Dinners,” cooking fried cheese and pickle wraps, completing the Hot Pickle Challenge and making Chamoy-spice flavored pickle kits.
Good for the Gut
While I find all the pickle praise fun and amusing, pickles also have more to offer than just a punch of flavor. They are also low-calorie healthy snacks. The natural fermentation processes may improve gut health and even reduce blood pressure as they contain electrolytes, probiotics, and heart-healthy compounds.
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