This section is from the book "Cooking Vegetables. Practical American Cookery", by Jules Arthur Harder. Also available from Amazon: The Physiology Of Taste.
Achars ou Cornichon. Essiggurke, or Pfeffergurke.
No. 733. - The Gherkin is a native of the West Indies and is not a cucumber proper, but is a little rough, prickly fruit of comparatively small size, with a regular oval formation. It grows on a pretty vine, having leaves similar to the watermelon, and is principally grown for pickling. It is seldom used at the table in its raw state. In America small cucumbers are used, and when pickled are called Gherkins. See Cucumbers, Article LXXVI.
 
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