Spreewälder Gurken

Appearance & taste

Spreewälder Gurken are available unprocessed and processed. The pickled product consists of more than 70 % gherkins; in addition there are water, cooking salt and, depending on the product, fermentation vinegar, fresh onions, fresh dill, herbs, spices, horseradish, natural flavourings from herbs and spices and a small proportion of other vegetables for decoration or seasoning. The total acidity from fermentation vinegar is under 1 %; Salz-Dill-Gurken (Saure Gurken) contain at most 3 % salt.

According to the specification, Spreewälder Gurken have particular taste characteristics by which their origin in the Spreewald can be recognised.

Production

The gherkins grow in the Spreewald economic area under controlled integrated cultivation, following the principles that apply in Brandenburg to the integrated cultivation of fruit and vegetables. They are processed according to traditional recipes passed down over generations and with production and preserving methods suited to each flavour.

In packs up to a nominal volume of 1,700 ml they are sweetened only with sugar (sucrose), in larger ones also with sweeteners. In unpasteurised preserves, sweeteners and preservatives are permitted regardless of size.

Origin & history

The Spreewald economic area has a boggy soil with embedded clay and very fine silt, a relatively high and constant humidity and its own microclimate. It reaches as far as Münchehofe, Märkisch-Buchholz and Halbe in the north, as far as the administrative districts of Calau, Altdöbern, Drebkau and Neuhausen in the south and as far as Peitz in the east.

According to the specification, gherkins have been grown in the Spreewald for centuries, sold fresh or pickled according to traditional recipes. Because the traditional methods are preserved there, processing in the area also matters. Growers and processors have committed themselves to quality assurance guidelines, which are checked by independent bodies.