From traditional Swedish herring and kosher Jewish beef tongue to African Cape Malay yellowtail garlic - and onion - pickling recipes, methods and ingredients differ wildly (just as use of the word pickled may refer to deep purple beets or your neighbor's red nose and consistent slur). Pickling foods is an ancient process; a pickle might be the second thing Eve ever fed Adam.

Pickle and pickling basics

A pickle is a cucumber that has been preserved. Many foods (fruit, meat, eggs, seafood, and other vegetables) can be preserved in a variety of ways. Pickling is a process separate from the method in which food becomes preserved - pressure canning, bottling, etc. - and is a result of what is put in the container with the food item - vinegar, spices, herbs.

I grew up where fruit tree yields became amazing apricot jam.  Swiss chard, peas, zucchini, beans, spinach and countless other fruits and vegetables were harvested from my Mormon family's big Utah gardens and canned for wintertime. It wasn't till a move to Washington in my late teens that I learned not all families gardened, pickled and canned and that it might be a regional practice. Moving down South to Tennessee and Virginia I was exposed to other loosely regional culinary practices - dredging, breading and frying.  Memorably, I watched a pickled cucumber get prepped in egg and bread crumbs and deep-fried in bacon grease for breakfast. 

Before you wrinkle your nose, think about onion rings ... golden breading encasing tender hot veggies with just a bit of good oil clinging on as you dunk into ketchup, tartar, aioli, honey mustard. Now replay that scenario with a tart and tangy pickle. In the world of pickles, there are chips, spears, dices, slices and slabs. Obviously, dices are used for relish, not for frying. Round chips and long thin slices or slabs are most suited to the batter and are making appearances on local menus.

Where to get some

The Ram Restaurant & Brewery serves pickle chips with a rosette sauce, which is described as a mayonnaise-based Southwest sauce that is tangy, spicy and sweet from horseradish, sugar and spices.

A cayenne pepper-spiked flour breading is used at Bruno's Family Restaurant & Bar in Eatonville to punch up the flavor in their pickle chips. As if that's needed with spicy chipotle mayonnaise as a dip. 

Hooters, not really known for awesome food, does weigh in here with a basket loaded with very thinly flour-breaded tart pickle chips served with onion ring sauce (I'm told it's a 1000 Island-esque sauce of mayo, ketchup, spices and relish).

As the only one to deviate from the pickle chip, The Loose Wheel's co-owner Shawn DeCicco shares, "We played around with pickle shape and thickness and figured out the right amount of coating for hand-breading." The panko used provides a crunchy texture contrast not found with flour breading. This contrast helps tremendously with pickle slabs, since there's just more pickle. Honey mustard, barbeque, ranch and blue cheese are offered for dipping.

Pickled but not a pickle

Like many authentic Mexican restaurants, Taqueria La Carreta on South Tacoma Way has a salsa bar complete with pickled onion, jalapeno, carrot and radish with spices and vibrant green cilantro that can be eaten as a side dish or atop a meat entree.

Walk on the daring side and try kimchi, grated radish, pickled squid or hot dog at Obok Restaurant in Lakewood's Koreatown.

Throughout the world love affairs exist with pickles and pickled foods. Locally, I'd like to see restaurants be more daring with their offerings. Pickled watermelon rind, tomatoes, cantaloupe, okra or squash anyone? Till then I'll settle for a healthy amount of spicy, vinegary carrot, celery, cauliflower and onion served with creamy hummus and crackers at Tempest Lounge or maybe the in-house pickled veggies at Crown Bar.

Across the nation a return to home gardens and urban farms, drying, canning and pickling has gained in popularity in recent years, due in part to economic reasons and health concerns surrounding growing practices at massive production farms. DIY is quite satisfying from start to finish and most of your money stays in your pocket. As gray clouds begin making regular appearances, the limited September sunshine is proving too weak to ripen my tomatoes. At age 35 I will embrace family tradition as I pickle all of those green tomatoes.