Brined cucumbers and mushrooms (solenya)
Lacto-fermented cucumbers and mushrooms in a brine perfumed with dill, garlic, and horseradish. Crunchy, tangy, alive: the homemade preserve that lasts through winter.
Lacto-fermented cucumbers and mushrooms in a brine perfumed with dill, garlic, and horseradish. Crunchy, tangy, alive: the homemade preserve that lasts through winter.
When autumn came, my dear, the whole family got to it: we filled jars as if winter would last a thousand years — and in our place, it did! Cucumbers, wild mushrooms, a head of garlic, horseradish, dill umbels, and salted water on top. We let time do its work in the dark cellar. That's the real Soviet luxury: opening a jar in February and crunching on the summer we had put aside.
- •Firm cucumbers — a full bucket (vegetable to ferment)
- •Wild mushrooms — a foraged amount (umami pickle)
- •Dill (flowering stems) — several umbels (aroma)
- •Garlic — several heads (flavor, preservation)
- •Horseradish (leaf and root) — a few pieces (crunch, antifungal)
- •Coarse salt — for brine (fermentation)
- •Currant or cherry leaves — a handful (tannins, crispness)
Brined cucumbers and mushrooms (solenya)
Lacto-fermented cucumbers and mushrooms in a brine perfumed with dill, garlic, and horseradish. Crunchy, tangy, alive: the homemade preserve that lasts through winter.
Why this dish? In an economy of shortages and rationing — exactly the context described in Pugacheva's file — every Soviet family filled dozens of jars in autumn to last the winter. These fermented pickles were the universal zakuska, on every table, from kommunalki to artists' buffets.
When autumn came, my dear, the whole family got to it: we filled jars as if winter would last a thousand years — and in our place, it did! Cucumbers, wild mushrooms, a head of garlic, horseradish, dill umbels, and salted water on top. We let time do its work in the dark cellar. That's the real Soviet luxury: opening a jar in February and crunching on the summer we had put aside.
Ingredients (period version)
- Firm cucumbers — a full bucket (vegetable to ferment)
- Wild mushrooms — a foraged amount (umami pickle)
- Dill (flowering stems) — several umbels (aroma)
- Garlic — several heads (flavor, preservation)
- Horseradish (leaf and root) — a few pieces (crunch, antifungal)
- Coarse salt — for brine (fermentation)
- Currant or cherry leaves — a handful (tannins, crispness)
Ingredients
- Small pickling cucumbers — 1 kg (vegetable)
- White mushrooms or oyster mushrooms — 500 g (umami pickle)
- Dill (stems and umbels) — 1 bunch (aroma)
- Garlic — 1 head (flavor)
- Fresh horseradish — 1 small piece (crunch)
- Non-iodized coarse salt — 60 g per liter of water (brine)
- Peppercorns and bay leaf — to taste (spices)
Method
- For cucumbers: wash them, pack tightly in a clean jar with garlic, dill, horseradish, and spices. Cover with cold brine (60 g salt per liter of boiled, cooled water).
- Keep cucumbers submerged; cover without sealing airtight and let ferment 4 to 7 days at room temperature: the brine turns cloudy, that's a good sign.
- For mushrooms: blanch 10 minutes, drain, then cover with warm brine flavored with garlic and bay leaf.
- Taste regularly; once the desired acidity is reached, seal and store in a cool place.
- Serve well chilled as a zakuska, sprinkled with dill, with black bread.
How it was made : Lacto-fermentation with coarse salt (not vinegar) is the traditional Russian method, predating refrigeration. Currant, oak, or horseradish leaves provided tannins that kept vegetables crunchy. Every household had its recipe and technique, passed from babushka to babushka.
The contemporary twist : Serve cucumbers sliced on the bias with a drizzle of oil and dill, as a small plate for a contemporary vodka bar.
Alla Pugacheva · Charactorium