Hungarian Kovaszos Uborka (Sour Pickles)

Growing up, my Hungarian grandmother and grandfather maintained what seemed like a massive garden to me. Looking back it was probably not as big as it seemed, but she always had the essentials — from hot and sweet peppers to raspberries, figs, string beans, kohlrabi, tomatoes, currants, and pickling cucumbers just to name a few. 

Here I am, pictured in that garden back in 1967...

I remember it being the dead of summer and you could walk on her back porch and she had a big jar of kovasaszos uborka pickles in a large jar with a small saucer on top. My father has made these from time to time but I have decided to perfect the recipe and make this a right of passage to summer.

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds pickling cucumbers (from Frog Bottom Farm)
• Fresh dill
• 2 quarts water
• 4T salt
• 2 slices of a hearty bread, preferably sourdough (from Norwood Cottage Bakery)
• 1 jar large enough to hold these ingredients (I used a decorative Ball mason jar)

Let's Make Some Pickles:

Wash the mason jar and cucumbers*. Bring the water to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves and remove from heat. Place fresh dill in the bottom of the jar and add cucumbers standing up on a bottom row. Layer some more fresh dill on top of that and add another layer of cucumbers. If the salt water has cooled to just above room temperature pour into the jar over the pickles.  

Pack the 2 pieces of of bread in the top of the jar so it is immersed in the liquid. The bread ferments the pickles turning them sour and the brine becomes pungent with dill. Top with more fresh dill. Cover with cheese cloth or a piece of coffee sack like I have used here (thanks Blanchard's).

You then want to place the container outside in the heat away of direct sunlight. You will see the transition in the water over about 5 days (note above) as it begins to turn cloudy and the pickles begin to create bubbles. After 5 days and when the bubbles have subsided, you can bring your pickles back inside and place them in containers with the juice in the fridge.

*I found a recipe for Kovaszos Uborka and they suggested piercing the pickles all the way through several times with a skewer.  After I sent the picture to my dad he reminded me that granny would slice off each end of the pickle and then cut a 2" slit on each side of the pickle.  When he told me that I did distinctly remember that was the way she did it. So for the next batch I will do that and compare.


The pickle will have a softer texture than regular dill pickles. For me, the smell and texture is something I remember every summer. Cold and straight from the fridge is something I will be enjoying this weekend! I would love to hear if you give these a go or if you have made them in the past.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well