Experiment in the kitchen: I chose the most delicious pickles, but the inscription on the package unpleasantly surprised me

However, when choosing cucumbers in various grocery stores in Vilnius, a fact was not very pleasantly surprised: no matter where you look, you will not be able to find Lithuanian cucumbers with a light.

Some of the pickles in the store are from Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, and even India! It is true that some of the labels on the jars are marked “Made in Lithuania” or even represent the Lithuanian tricolor, but the true country of origin of the cucumbers is marked as the EU.

So if it is already proudly marked on the label that it is made in Lithuania, there is likely a non-Lithuanian name under the EU mark. All that remains is to guess where they come from.

The prices of all cucumbers are approximately the same, and it is not the price of the jar (since all the jars have different capacities) that is calculated, but the price of the net weight of the cucumbers. So we don’t compare them in terms of price.

During the blind test, we selected the most delicious and crunchy cucumber. Testo participants – woman and man, 32 years old.

The test participants evaluated the flavor properties by choosing one of three: delicious, average, bland. Crispy: crisp, medium, not crisp.

Cucumber no. 1

First participant (female): very crisp, but feels such an artificial acid, moderately tasty.
Second participant (male): crisp, medium, too sweet.

Cucumber no. 2.

The first participant: very crunchy but has a disgusting taste, the taste is reminiscent of anchovies, I would never buy.
Second participant: tasteless, artificial sweetener flavor and medicinal aftertaste, crunchy.

Cucumber no. 3.

The first entrant: sweet, seems to lack flavor, crisp.
Second participant: not crunchy, smooth and pleasant taste, good acid balance.

Cucumber no. Four.

The first participant: medium crisp, medicinal taste, tasteless.
Second entrant: moderately crisp, specific chicken spicy flavor, medium flavor.

Cucumber no. 5.

First participant: crispy but watery, delicious.
Second entrant: moderately crunchy, too sour, only sour pickles, moderately tasty.

Cucumber no. 6.

The first participant: tasteless, a kind of strange taste, seems soaked in chemicals.
Second participant: cucumber moderately crisp, very tasteless and damaged.

Summarizing the results of the blind test, it turned out that the most delicious Polish “Dworek” and “Kėdainių konservų” with oak leaves were chosen. The most unpleasant tasting cucumbers appeared in Ukraine and India.

Cucumbers and their producers

1. Rivona, classic pickles, whole, slightly acidic. Made in Lithuania, the country of origin for cucumbers is the EU.

2. “Canned Mom”, pickles, country of origin – Ukraine.

3. “Canned Kėdainiai”, pickled cucumbers with oak leaves, whole, slightly acidic. Made in Lithuania, the country of origin for cucumbers is the EU.

4. Pickles “Spilva”, “Klasika”. Country of origin – Turkey.

5. Dworek pickled with garlic. Made in Poland, country of origin – Poland.

6. “Kėdainiai canned foods”, pickles, whole, slightly acidic. Country of origin: India.
(Kėdainiai canned goods were selected twice because no other cucumber growers from India could be found.)