Cucumbers were native to India about 1000 B.C., spread to China about 200 B.C., and showed up in Europe in Roman times. One Roman emperor is reported to have eaten fresh cucumbers every day of the year, grown by artificial methods in the off season. Columbus brought cucumbers to the New World on one of his voyages, and the vegetable soon spread to English and Spanish colonies and to the Native Americans. Cucumbers come in a variety of sizes, some up to two feet long. Pickles are cucumbers that have been cured in brine or vinegar solution.

According to Pickle Packers International, Inc., the trade and research association founded in 1893, the perfect pickle should exhibit seven warts per square inch for American tastes. However, Europeans prefer wartless pickles. The American palate is particularily fond of pickles so much that about 5,200,000 pounds are consumed daily. That translates into about nine pounds per year or 106 pickles per citizen. Food publications are filled with an imaginative plethora or recipes to satisfy the pickle fan. The familiar use is when pickles garnish a plate of food or as a complement to hamburgers, sandwiches, or hot dogs. But pickles are found in less obvious foods such as potato salads, thousand island salad dressings, tartar sauces, and pickle loaf luncheon meats.