Otseqon pickle box

The Otseqon pickle box is one of the most common Otseqon pickling techniques. The pickle box is a wooden box with a moist layer of ground buckwheat hulls and salt, approximately the texture of wet sand. The mash is biologically active with lactic acid bacteria. It is maintained by daily stirring and occasionally replacing part of the substrate. Pickle boxes can last a very long time and are often passed down generations. Older pickle boxes are valued for their complex flavors.

To make pickles, vegetables are buried in the pickle box substrate. They may be pickled anywhere from a couple of hours to weeks or months. Many non-leafy vegetables are pickled this way, particularly cucurbits, eggplant, and the roots of Brassica species (which may or may not be dried before pickling).

Horseradish leaves are often added to the substrate as a source of tannins to increase the firmness of the pickles. Various spices like ginger, garlic, and chilis can be added to contribute to the flavor of the pickles.

Pickles of this type are among the most ubiquitous Otseqon foods. They are eaten with essentially every Otseqon meal to balance salty, spicy, and fishy flavors, and eaten at the end of a meal as a palate cleanser.