A BRIEF HISTORY OF PICKLES

The world, and much of New York, may think that Sunshine Fresh created the pickle, but actually pickles have been around for thousands years. Pickles are actually mentioned twice in the Bible (Numbers 11:5 and Isaiah 1:8) and history records that people were enjoying pickles back over 4000 years in the Tigris Valley in India. The histories of Aristotle, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar all reference pickled cucumbers and pickle products. Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing pickles to America. The colonists are known to have enjoyed pickles as a tasty, homegrown delicacy available many months of the year.

Dutch Settlers, who farmed and sold cucumbers in what is now Brooklyn, brought pickles to New York in the 1600s. This produce was then sold to local street merchants who sold these “barrel cured” snacks throughout New York City and the surrounding areas. From this we clearly see the generation of the “New York” kosher (small k vs. big K - but that will come later) style pickles. These “pickle pioneers” cured fresh cucumbers in a combination of water, salt, pickle spice, dill, garlic and a host of other fresh ingredients.These deliciously fresh pickles became the hallmark of authentic New York “deli” the world over. It is from these humble roots that Sunshine was born.

A HISTORY OF SUNSHINE

Sunshine opened its doors to the pickle world in 1935 as a mayonnaise manufacturer. By 1961 Irving Flax and his son Harris realized their collective futures were in the pickle business. At that time this entrepreneurial (that's baby boomer lingo for SMART) father and son packed up and crossed the river to Hackensack, New Jersey. It was here that Sunshine got ".

For ovr 70 years the Sunshine name remains synonimous with quality for Pickles, Deli Pickles and Pickle Products.