Why Do Southerners Love Relish So Much (And Fight About It)?
Not everyone is a fan.
kendyll hillegas
Who knew that pickle relish could start a food fight? It turns out that this jarred condiment is a divisive choice to include in some recipes, including in potato salad and deviled eggs. Many Southern Living editors (born and bred in the South) grew up adding sweet relish to their potato salad and thinking nothing of it.
But when we published Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad from The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook (one of the most popular potato salad recipes on our website) many commenters were shocked to see that it included "sweet salad cube pickles" in the ingredient list. We did some digging and explored what makes pickle relish so polarizing for some, but beloved by others.
What Is Pickle Relish?
Although every home cook and pickle company have their own recipe, generally pickle relish is made of cucumbers, salt, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Depending on the variety (dill or sweet) the sugar content varies, with sweet relish being, well, sweeter.
You’ll often see potato salad recipes in particular use “sweet salad cubes,” which is a chunkier relish for added texture and crunch. Southern company, Mt.Olive, is one of the commercial brands selling this style of sweet relish.
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Why We Call for Pickle Relish in Recipes
There's nothing quite like the sweet and tart flavor of a pickle relish. In rich, creamy dishes like potato salad and deviled eggs, it helps cut through the mayo for a perfectly balanced bite. Plus, it adds a nice crunch.
For those who like things a little tangier, try using dill pickle relish instead. We would argue, however, that the added sweetness from sweet relish is just as important as the acid for creating a balanced bite.
The Debate
To add relish or not: It is a debate that’s hardly isolated to potato salad. The same naysayers populate the comments section of our Classic Deviled Eggs recipe, which also includes a touch of relish. Here are some of the comments from readers who pushed back on relish:
“No sweet pickles in potato salad!!!”
“I prefer a little sweet pickle juice rather than using relish.”
“This recipe (minus the relish) is the way my mom and grandma made their deviled eggs when I was a kid back in the early 60s. You can’t beat it.”
We also asked our "What’s Cooking with Southern Living" Facebook group, and while most members were fine with sweet relish, a few couldn’t get on board. Many were fine with it in potato salad, but not in deviled eggs, while others simply wanted none of it near their food. One member even wrote, "To each their own…for me a big fat NO!"
Not everyone had a problem with pickles however, and we loved this reader’s willingness to give our recipe a shot, even if we put them through some serious knife work. “I was surprised by some of the ingredients but I followed the recipe as planned. The only thing I would say is it’s a lot of chopping!! Therefore it took me a lot longer to make. However, it is a good potato salad.”
At the end of day, you can include it if you want and omit it if you don’t, but we urge you to give pickle relish (preferably sweet) a shot at least once. You too might be surprised by how much you like it.
Related: 24 Tasty Potato Salad Recipes That Complete Any Menu
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Read the original article on Southern Living.
