 Spreewald gherkins with garlic | |
| Type | Pickled cucumber |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Spreewald,Brandenburg |
Spreewald gherkins (German:Spreewälder Gurken orSpreewaldgurken) are a specialtypickled cucumber fromBrandenburg, which are protected by theEU as aProtected Geographical Indication (PGI).
In the 1870s,Theodor Fontane found that theSpreewaldgurke stood at the top of the agricultural products in Brandenburg'sSpreewald:
The products of the Spreewald have their most superb trading center inLübbenau and go from here out into the world. Among these products, the cucumbers are at the top. In a previous year, a single merchant sold 800Schock [48,000] per week. That would mean nothing in Hamburg or Liverpool, where one is used to reckoning by loads and tons, but every 'place has its measure', which amounts to a good reputation, considering these 800Schock. Incidentally, Lübbenau does not lag behind by selling an article which could perhaps invite ridicule, cucumbers and horse radish are of equal birth...
— Theodore Fontane,Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg (1882)[1]
The secret of the Spreewald gherkins' special taste remained hidden, even to thesatirist Fontane. Certainly, the moist soil, rich inhumus, and the climate in the Spreewald also contribute to the good growth in the cucumber fields. The actual reason for the taste, which is considered by connoisseurs to be delicate, is found in their processing. While the process offermentation in large barrels formerly took several weeks, gherkins today are ready for sale after only one day of processing—whether for mustard gherkins (Senfgurke),gherkins or dill pickles (Gewürzgurke) orpickled cucumbers (Salzgurke). This enormous time saving is achieved by heating to 70 °C (158 °F) with the addition ofcaustic soda. The composition of the additional ingredients, however, still remains a well-guarded secret of the approximately twenty picklers. These taste-enhancing ingredients, such asbasil,lemon balm,grape leaves, cherry leaves or walnut leaves, give Spreewald gherkins their special sour, spicy taste.
After thereunification of Germany in 1990, Spreewald gherkins were one of the few products fromEast Germany which were still available without interruption. The gherkins also achieved fame in 2003 with the award-winning filmGood Bye Lenin! byWolfgang Becker. In thistragicomedy,Daniel Brühl has great difficulty obtaining the Spreewald gherkins that his sick mother (Katrin Sass) dearly loved and which he absolutely needed to convince her of the continued existence of the (in her view) "ideal East German world".
Meanwhile, the gherkins can again be obtained under theirtrademarked nameSpreewälder Gurken, which is aProtected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the EU as of March 1999. In 2004, 50 businesses in the region announced their voluntary commitment to declare the Spreewald to be a genetic-engineering-free region.
There are cucumber fields in all of the Spreewald, the largest part of which has been specially protected as theBiosphärenreservat Spreewald (Spreewald Biosphere Reserve) since 1990. The following locations have special offerings on and around the gherkin:
TheGurken-Radweg (Gherkin Bicycle Path) is named in honor of the gherkin, because of its services. The logo of the tour shows a smiling gherkin on a bicycle.
At the annualSpreewald-Marathon, which is held in the disciplines of running, bicycling, hiking, canoeing, and skating, the competition is started with, "Auf die Gurke, fertig, los" (On the gherkin, steady, go!) instead of "Auf die Plätze, fertig, los" (ready, steady, go!).
