During the cold months, during the summer and autumn season, pickles prepared for winter supply decorate our tables. Cooling weather heralds the beginning of the sour season. Cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, garlic, blue tomatoes and more are usually abundant and cheap at this time of year. But this year the situation is different. The markets are neither abundant nor cheap. Prices have almost doubled compared to last year. So, I wonder how the current situation has affected the sour market. What are the prices? Is it more profitable to make pickles at home or buy them on the market?
“Caspian” Answers to these and other questions can be found in the newspaper article.
In Azerbaijani cuisine, pickles made from tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplants and peppers are often preferred. As for the price of foodstuffs needed for pickling, currently a kilogram of cabbage costs 70 kopecks, beets 90 kopecks, one manat, carrots 1-1.20 manat, garlic 5-6 manat, blue tomatoes 1.60-1.80 manat, and eggplants 70 kopecks – one manat, tomatoes – 1.80-2.80 manat, cucumbers – 65 kopecks, 2 manat for a kilogram of hot pepper, and 2.50-3.50 manat for a kilogram of sweet pepper. The price of 450 milliliters of grape vinegar starts at 80 kopecks.
Sadagat Seydimova, a housewife who has been in the pickle business for almost seven years, is also not satisfied with the prices. According to her, the price of products has significantly increased the cost of pickle production: “This year the market is not as plentiful as in previous years. The wholesalers where I buy the products also say that there is a shortage of products in the market. Last year I bought a 30-kilogram box of tomatoes for 11-12 manats, this year I bought them for 35 manats. Unstable weather has had a negative effect on productivity. As a result, the cost of producing acid has increased.
But our interlocutor noted that, despite the high prices, it is more profitable to make pickles at home: “Prices in markets and in markets are increasing day by day. There are products that are profitable to pickle at home. For example, to prepare three kilos of pickled cabbage, women need about 4.5 manats. But this product is offered in stores for 10-12 manats. In addition, the product bought in the store is not as tasty as the one made at home.”
Mehsati Huseynova, a leader of the Food Safety Movement and a nutritionist, said that those who want to prepare canned products at home should pay attention to a number of points: “Fruits and vegetables selected for home-made canned products should be seasonal and local; they should never be used spoiled or crushed. The container used for canning should be clean and sterilized. Also, the person involved in the preparation process should be hygienically clean and should not have an open wound.”
The expert stressed that if homemade pickles are not stored properly in a cool, dark and dry place, swelling of the lid occurs, so it is not recommended to use such a product at all: “Sometimes, when opening the lid of such products, it contains mold, they clean it and use it again. This is unequivocally unacceptable. If any part of the product has mold, it means that the product is completely unusable. It contains a substance called clostridium botulinum, which has a very toxic effect on mold, which can even lead to death.”
Food technologist Aga Salamov sees no need to prepare pickles. According to him, there is no need to use pickles, as fresh vegetables are sold in all seasons of the year: “At that time, pickles were closed, because they were not seasonal fruits. Now tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables are sold in the markets all year round, so there is no need to close pickles. Some people may like salty food, but it should be noted that the cost of greenhouses has increased, and as a result, the price increases observed on the market.
Although A. Salamov is of the same opinion, he is in favor of supplying pickles at home: “Of course, buying them on the market costs less. In fact, taking into account food safety, I am in favor of making pickles at home. Correct technology and storage, proper closing of the lids always make pickles made at home more delicious. Pickles made by the industrial method are also considered safer. We do not make tons of acid in products made from them at home, but the raw material is purchased at a cheaper price. I would recommend buying it on the market, but if someone wants to take the trouble, he can make it at home despite the costs.”
