Shared by Noa Berman-Herzberg
Recipe Roots: Pinsk, Belarus > Altay county, Siberia > Wroclaw Silesia, Poland > Wasseralfingen Refugee Camp, Germany > Holon, Israel > Rehovot > Tel Aviv

Noa Berman-Herzberg’s bright and airy Tel Aviv kitchen doubles as a fermentation laboratory. At any given moment, there are 70 or so jars of pickles. There are the familiar cucumbers as well as cabbage on hand, but also lesser known ferments. She’s pickled green tomatoes with lime in a verdant jar, green mango with chili flakes and cardamom, unripe teardrop-shaped grapes with coriander seed, and slices of eggplant — courtesy of a recipe from her mother — to name only a few.

It’s fitting for a woman who goes by the moniker The Serial Pickler. Pickling and a love of sharing food are in Noa’s blood.

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The Berman family delicatessen in Philadelphia.

“The world is divided between feeders and those who are being fed,” Noa explains. At her core, she is a feeder, a term she uses for a person who gathers people around a table. It’s a trait she inherited from her paternal grandparents, the Bermans. In the 1930s, they owned an Ashkenazi delicatessen in Philadelphia, which served the eponymous “Berman sandwich,” stacked with chopped liver, schmaltz, and pickles on rye bread. “We don’t know where the deli was,” says Noa, but “I know they made pickles.”

So did her mother's family. In the 1930s her great-grandmother Hanah Schmidt made pickles in Pinsk, Belarus where the family owned a hotel until they were expelled to Siberia in 1941. “It was minus 40 degrees and very harsh living,” says Noa, and pickling became a necessity. Fermented cabbage, pickled watermelon, potatoes, and beets sustained the family.

The tradition of pickling stuck with them as they settled in Israel in 1949. “I grew up with two permanent pickle jars on the counter,” explains Noa. “It’s a basic thing. You have bread, you have potatoes, you have two jars of pickles — it’s cucumbers and cabbage.” As a child, she assumed every home had the same jars next to their sink.

Noa’s mother Shoshana, her father Chaim, grandmother Malka, and sister Bela. This photo was taken in 1946 in Wroclaw, Poland.

“It’s not really a meal if they’re not [there],” Noa adds. But the Saturday pickle spread was different. Her parents, now-retired judge Shoshana Berman and her father Reuven Berman who was an artist, would host an open house almost every other weekend. At the Saturday lunches, there was a buffet of black bread, herring, butter, cheeses and an array of pickles, some of which were Shoshana’s creation. (Something else she inherited, Noa says, is the idea that “the kitchen is a playground.”) Shoshana would set out eggs tinged pink from being fermented in borscht, slices of eggplant, and mushrooms pickled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, that were served on a plate, each speared with a toothpick for the taking.

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At 19, Noa moved out and made her first pickles on her own. “There was a day when I said, ‘I need to pickle,’” she recounts. She called her mother for the recipe and made her first batch. Nearly 30 years later, while working as a screenwriter, Noa came face to face with a wider world of fermentation and pickling techniques on a work trip to New York. In markets, she saw rows of pickle jars, and in a bookstore, she came across volumes on the topic that engrossed her for hours.

“I bought a few books, and I went to sleep,” she recalls. When she woke up the name “The Serial Pickler” was stuck in her mind. “I [thought] it would be a character in my screenplay. I didn’t know it would be me,” she says. When she returned to Israel, she started pickling fanatically. “I was possessed”

Working to blend her experience as a storyteller and her love of pickling she created the event series Erev Hachmatzot or Sour Food Sour Stories in English. In Hebrew, the word “hahmtaza” means pickling, but also “missing out,” making it a perfect play on words for the event. Noa invites people to come to the free event with a bottle of gin and a story of a missed opportunity in their life.

She sets out an elaborate spread of pickles — sometimes as many as 22 varieties. “I give you [pickles], you give in return your story,” she says. She’s hosted the event 32 times so far and is now working on a documentary about the program.

Sour Food Sour Stories is a culmination of Noa’s birthright as a feeder, a storyteller, and a member of a family who for generations has placed vegetables into jars to save something for the season to come.

Dill Pickles

Classic dill pickles like these use a process called lacto-fermentation. Be sure to use a sterilized jar and follow the recipe closely as fermentation requires a particular quantity of salt both for flavor and safety. Make sure to ferment the pickles in a cool dry place like a cellar. If you prefer half-sour pickles, open the jar and transfer the pickles to the refrigerator after 10 days instead of 3 weeks.

Jar Size: sterilized 2 liter jar
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ferment time: 21 days

Ingredients

For the brine:
5 cups water
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons Kosher salt

For the pickles:
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon peppercorns, divided
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, divided
8 allspice berries, divided
4 bay leaves, dry or fresh, divided
1 ½ pounds Persian or kirby cucumbers
1-2 fresh chili peppers (to taste)
1 small bunch dill
1 small bunch mustard greens or horseradish greens (optional)

Directions

Prepare the brine: Pour the water and salt into a pot, and heat on low until the salt dissolves and the brine is transparent. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Slice the garlic head in half widthwise.
Arrange the sterilized jar: Add half the dry spices to the bottom of the jar. Next, add half the cucumbers to fill the jar halfway. Add the remaining spices and the head of garlic. Add the remaining cucumbers and chilis.
Pour the brine over the cucumbers, covering completely. Add the dill and greens (if using). Put a weight on top to make sure all ingredients are covered with brine, and close the jar. Write the date on the top. Place a plate under the jar. In the first few days of the fermentation process the brine tends to leak a little out of the jar (this is normal, so don’t worry about it).
Let the cucumbers ferment at a cool temperature (out of direct sunlight) for 21 days. When it’s done, make sure there are no bubbles on top before opening the jar. If some bubbles remain, let ferment an additional day or two before opening.
After opening, the pickles will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator. If desired, drain them and put them in a closed box for a few days to retain a crunchy texture.

Pickled Red Cabbage

Be sure to use a sterilized jar and follow the recipe closely as fermentation requires a particular quantity of salt both for flavor and safety. And, make sure to ferment the pickles in a cool dry place like a cellar.

Jar size: Sterilized 2 liter jar
Prep time: 30 minutes
Ferment time: 30 days

Ingredients

For the brine:
5 cups water
5 tablespoons kosher salt

For the pickles:
½ large head red cabbage
1 head garlic
2 fresh chili peppers (green or red)
3-4 bay leaves, preferably fresh
3 teaspoons ground allspice, divided
3 teaspoons black peppercorns, divided
1 bunch dill or mustard greens (or both)

Directions

Prepare the brine: Pour the water and salt into a pot, and heat on low until the salt dissolves and the brine is transparent. Set aside to cool while you prepare the vegetables.
Prepare the vegetables: Cut the cabbage into quarters, and cut out the center core. Chop the cabbage leaves into 1 ½-inch pieces, and separate the leaves. Slice the garlic head in half widthwise. Score the chilis.
Arrange the jar: On the bottom of the jar, add 1 bay leaf and 1 teaspoon each of the allspice and peppercorns. Add half the cabbage leaves and press down. Add another bay leaf, and another teaspoon of the allspice and peppercorns.
Next, place the two halves of garlic on both sides of the jar (press them cut-side to the glass), and next to each one, place a chili. Then add the rest of the cabbage and press down again to create more space in the jar. Add the remaining spices.
Pour the warm brine into the jar until it completely covers the cabbage. Using a spoon, press down on the cabbage after it softens a bit. Add the dill and/or mustard greens on top.
Put a weight on top to make sure all ingredients are covered with brine, and close the jar. Write the date on the top. Place a plate under the jar. In the first few days of the fermentation process the brine tends to leak a little out of the jar (this is normal).
Let the cabbage ferment at room temperature for 30 days. When it’s done, make sure there are no bubbles on top before opening the jar. If some bubbles remain, let ferment an additional day or two before opening.
The cabbage will keep for an additional month or 2 months in the refrigerator.

Tip: You can use the brine for another cycle of fermentation or drink it. It’s healthy!

Pickled Mushrooms

Jar size: sterilized 2 liter jar
Prep time: 30 minutes
Ferment time: 24-48 hours, depending on desired firmness

Ingredients

For the brine:
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
5 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sugar (optional)

For the pickles:
2 ¼ pounds small champignon or button mushrooms
6 cloves garlic, peeled and divided
1 teaspoon ground allspice, divided

Directions

Prepare the brine: Heat all of the brine ingredients in a small pot on low heat. Stir occasionally until the salt and sugar (if using) have dissolved. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
Prepare the pickles: Using a damp paper towel, wipe any dirt off the mushrooms and remove the stems.
Pickle the mushrooms: Place 3 garlic cloves and ½ teaspoon allspice in the bottom of a sterilized 2 liter jar. Next, gently add half of the mushrooms, taking care not to break them. Add the remaining garlic and allspice, then top with remaining mushrooms. Pour in the brine. Tip: If the mushrooms don’t all fit at once, wait until they have softened in the brine, and slowly add the remaining mushrooms after the course of a few minutes.
Once all the mushrooms have been added to the jar, close tightly and let ferment at a cool room temperature for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, turn the jar on its head for an additional 24 hours. Depending on your firmness preference, the mushrooms can either be refrigerated after 24 (firmer) or 48 hours (softer). The mushrooms will keep in the refrigerator for 14 days.

Pickled Eggs in Borscht

Jar Size: Sterilized 24-ounce jar
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ferment time: 5 days

Ingredients

3-4 beets, peeled and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
1 red or yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
5 cups water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
8-10 eggs, depending on size

Directions

Place beets, onion, and garlic in a pot. Pour the water and vinegar over, and add the salt and sugar. Cover and cook for 60 minutes until the beets soften and are easily pierced with a knife.
While the beets cook, bring another pot of water to boil. Add the eggs, and cook for 11 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel and set aside.
Once the beets are tender, use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and let them cool in a colander. Let the cooking liquid cool to room temperature.
Arrange the jar: Gently place the eggs in the jar, and cover with the cooking liquid. Make sure the jar is full, but not packed. Place 2-3 pieces of beet on top to help keep the eggs submerged. Close the jar tightly, and let sit at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 12 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator for 5 days.
Every 24 hours, gently shake the jar to make sure the eggs are fully coated in the liquid. The eggs will keep for up to 2 weeks refrigerated.

Tip: The remaining beets make a great cold beet salad, with the addition of sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced purple onions, fresh dill and a little olive oil. You can also add a couple of spoonfuls of thick yogurt.

Pickled Nectarines in a Sweet and Sour Spiced Brine

Jar size: Two 12-ounce jars or one 24-ounce jar
Prep time: 20 minutes
Ferment time: 48 hours

Ingredients

For the brine:
¾ cup rice vinegar
⅓ cup filtered water
⅓ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
Juice from ½ lemon or 1 lime

For the pickles:
3 firm nectarines
4-5 dried goji berries
2 cardamom pods
1 star anise

Directions

Prepare the brine: Pour the brine ingredients into a pot, and heat on low until the sugar dissolves and the brine is transparent. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Slice the nectarines into ½-inch wedges, discarding the pits.
Arrange the jar: Add half the spices to the bottom of the jar. Next, add the nectarines, and remaining spices.
Pour the brine over the nectarines, covering completely. Close the jars tightly and refrigerate for 48 hours.
Serve cold, or on top of thick yogurt or vanilla ice cream.

Tip: The nectarines will remain crunchy in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Then they soften and make a delicious addition to meatball or chicken stews or as a chutney base.

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