Consider the pickle. Whether sour or sweet, sliced or speared, it’s a seasoned veteran vegetable with a story to tell. New York plays a big part in that tale, as does Long Island. Today we reach deep into the barrel of food history and talk with Paul van Ravestein, co-author along with Monique Mulder of The Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles (Princeton Architectural Press 2026). 

Paul takes us from the pushcarts and crowded streets of the Lower East Side to the cucumber farms and pickle factories flanking the Long Island Rail Road in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Along the way we detail the role of the pickle in the economic, social, and culinary history of the region. Syosset, Farmingdale, Greenlawn and other places all had their “pickle kings” who profited from the pickle. Before, enabling a lucrative industry and legacy that lived on well into the 20th century.

Further Research

• The Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles (Amazon)
• Mattmo Creative Agency
• Street Food City (Museum of Food and Drink)
• Audio Footnotes
  • Farmingdale Local History (and Stern’s Pickles)
  • The Long Island Seed Consortium
• Intro Music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
• Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0