Thomas Jefferson wrote, "On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally's cellar." So what is so special about a pickle? It is a very common side dish in many recipes around the world. But a fact that very few people in the world know is that pickles have been used since time immemorial and many historic figures, including Cleopatra, George Washington and Julius Caesar, liked pickles. As pickling is a process of preserving food, many people used this as a means to hold on to basic nourishments, in their bad times like war, famine and rough weather. Cleopatra who was a devoted pickle fan, in fact believed that they enhanced her beauty.
