Pickled Turnips: How to Make the Middle Eastern Appetizer

Pickled turnips, or pink pickles, are turnips that have pickled along with red beet slices, which give the thin-skinned root vegetables their pinkish hue. Turnip pickles are especially common in Middle Eastern regions, where people also refer to them as “Lebanese pickles,” as they appear in many popular Lebanese dishes as a condiment or side dish. Middle Eastern cuisine is rich in spices, savory flavors, and creamy textures, and the acidity and tang of pickled turnips often complement these elements well.

The process for pickling turnips is similar to pickling other veggies, such as cucumbers (for traditional pickles), radishes, and green beans. Most recipes for pickled turnips are somewhat flexible; however, there are elements you must include if you want the dish to follow the traditions of Middle Eastern cuisine. Follow these general steps for making classic turnip pickles:

1. 1. Prepare the turnips and beets. It’s not necessary to cook the turnips and beets prior to pickling, but it is necessary for peeling them. Both root vegetables have fairly thin skin, so a vegetable peeler works well. Then cut the small red beet into slices and the turnips into batons—a shape similar to that of french fries. Set the prepared veggies aside.
2. 2. Pick the aromatics. Bay leaves and garlic are classic additions to pickled turnips, but peppercorns and a red pepper or chili, like a jalapeño, are also common. Anything extra you add to the brine will contribute flavor, so choose ingredients you regularly enjoy to ensure palatable pickles.
3. 3. Sanitize the jars. To follow the traditional canning method for pickles, sanitize the glass jars. Use pint or quart jars, depending on the size and quantity of the turnips and beets. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and submerge the jars for about five minutes. Remove the jars from the water using heat-proof tongs, then let them sit at room temperature while you prepare the brine.
4. 4. Make the brine. The simplest pickle brine is just water, vinegar, and salt, but other ingredients will add more flavor. For the vinegar, you can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or wine vinegar. It’s possible to use a mix of vinegars as long as the total amount of liquid matches the recipe. For the salt, you can use kosher salt, table salt, sea salt, or specialized pickling salt. The standard ratio for a pickle brine is equal parts vinegar and water, so for a quart (four cups) of pickling liquid, use two cups of vinegar and two cups of water. Bring the brine to a boil and cook it just until the salt dissolves.
5. 5. Jar the vegetables. Add the turnips, a beet slice, a clove of garlic, and any other aromatics to each jar. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables, leaving about an inch of headspace from the top of the jar. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and secure the lids, tightening them with your fingers. For refrigerator pickles, immediately place the pickle jars into the refrigerator, where they will last for several weeks.
6. 6. Process the jars. It’s unnecessary to process the jars for refrigerator pickles, but if you’re using the traditional canning method, process the jars to avoid bacteria growth. Bring the same large pot of water to a boil you used to sanitize the jars and submerge the filled jars again. Boil them for about ten minutes, then remove the jars and store them in a cool, dark place for a couple of months or up to a couple of years.

The briny flavor of pickled turnips pairs well with Middle Eastern appetizers, side dishes, and main dishes, as well as with foods in other cuisines. Additionally, pickled turnips are vegan and gluten-free, making them a flavorful option for those with certain dietary restrictions. Here is a handful of dishes pickled turnips will complement:

• Falafel: A mixture of chickpeas, fresh cilantro, fresh cilantro, onions, baking powder, and garlic, falafel balls are a savory, deep-fried appetizer or side dish. Wrap the falafel in a pita with lettuce, tomato, olives, red onions, and pickled turnips. Serve tahini sauce or a yogurt sauce, such as tzatziki, on the side.
• Gyro: A pita sandwich of rotisserie lamb or beef, a gyro typically includes fresh vegetables as toppings, such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, pickled turnips or pickled radishes, and tzatziki sauce.
• Hummus: Pita, carrots, cucumbers, crackers, and pickled turnips all complement a creamy hummus dip—a mixture of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Further customize your hummus with roasted red peppers, greens, sundried tomatoes, or other ingredients. For a garlicky hummus, try Chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s homemade hummus recipe.
• Kebab: The term kebab refers to any cooked meat dish in which the meat is on a skewer. For example, shish kebab is a popular form of the dish, with “shish” referring specifically to lamb. Serve a kebab with pickled turnips and a cucumber salad, or wrap all the ingredients in a pita.
• Shawarma: Like a gyro, shawarma features thin meat slices—traditionally lamb, mutton, or chicken—that cook on a vertical rotisserie, similar to gyro meat. Cooks stuff the meat into a pita with garlic sauce, fermented veggies, pickled turnips, tomatoes, cucumbers, and possibly other ingredients. In Egypt, shawarma sandwiches are a popular street food.

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