Castraveți Murați (Romanian Brined Pickles)
Local name: Castraveți murați
In short: Crisp cucumbers fermented in a garlicky dill brine with horseradish until pleasantly sour, the Romanian pickle jar of late summer. It takes about 20 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Resting
- 72 h
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 20 kcal
Late summer in Romania means jars of pickled cucumbers lined up on balconies and in cellars. The method is simple: cucumbers, garlic, dill and horseradish go into a salt brine with bay leaves and peppercorns, and ferment slowly at room temperature until sour and crisp. Eat them with mămăligă, fried potatoes or a plate of cold cuts, or chop them into salads.
Instructions
- Scrub the cucumbers and soak them in cold water for 2 hours to firm them up. Trim a thin slice from the blossom end of each, because it holds enzymes that soften pickles.
- Dissolve the salt in the water to make the brine. Wash a 2 liter (2 quart) glass jar well with hot water.
- Put half the dill, garlic, horseradish, bay leaves, peppercorns and leaves in the jar. Pack the cucumbers in upright and snug, then add the remaining flavorings on top.
- Pour in the brine to cover the cucumbers by 2 cm (3/4 in). Weigh them down with a small plate or a zip bag of brine so nothing floats above the liquid.
- Cover the jar with a clean cloth and leave it at 18 to 22°C (65 to 72°F), out of direct sun. Taste after 3 days for half-sour pickles, or wait 5 to 7 days for fully sour ones. Skim off any white film, and discard the batch if fuzzy mold appears.
- When the pickles taste right, close the jar and refrigerate it. They keep for 2 to 3 months, still crisp and getting sourer.
Tips
- Cooler rooms ferment more slowly and give crunchier pickles. In a hot kitchen, taste after 2 days and move the jar to the fridge as soon as they are sour enough.
- Use cucumbers picked within a day if you can, and keep every cucumber below the brine. Pickles that stay above the liquid can spoil.
Questions and answers
How do I know the pickles are ready?
The brine turns cloudy and tangy, the cucumbers change from bright to olive green, and they taste sour. After 3 days they are half-sour, and after 5 to 7 days fully sour.
Is cloudy brine safe?
Yes, cloudiness comes from harmless lactic acid bacteria. Throw the batch away if you see fuzzy mold, or if the pickles are slimy or smell rotten.
How long do the pickles keep?
Up to 3 months in the fridge. The brine keeps working slowly, so they get sourer over time.
How long does it take to make Castraveți Murați (Romanian Brined Pickles)?
About 20 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 0 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Castraveți Murați (Romanian Brined Pickles)?
About 20 kcal per serving, with 1 g of protein, 4 g of carbohydrates and 0 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 20 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 1200 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
