Pickling is the practice of preserving a low-acid food (usually vegetables) by adding enough vinegar or lemon juice to lower its pH to 4.6 or lower. Usually salt, sugar and spices are added as well to balance the acidity. Pickling is also possible by immersing the food in a salt brine to induce lactic acid fermentation, which provides the needed acidity to preserve the food.
For longer preservation periods pickled foods are heat processed (canned). For immediate consumption foods can be pickled in a brine and kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours to change its flavor and texture.
