Food creativity is at its best when chefs, cooks, and curious foodies flip ordinary ingredients on their heads to create completely new delicacies. People worldwide push the status quo, sometimes resulting in delicious new flavors, and other times resulting in a divisive combination.
Enter the Mississippi Delta’s Koolickle.
Part kool-aid, part pickle, this combination results in a sweet and sour flavor bomb in your mouth. A taste test of this novelty leaves some scratching their heads, but others searching for more.
Origins
The koolickle was concocted in the Mississippi Delta, a small patch of land between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. Remaining true to its southern food traditions—pickled everything: okra, peaches, and just about any other vegetable they can get their hands on—it’s really no surprise to us that this colorful variation of the pickle originated here.
The Koolickle’s Popularity
The koolickle is available in most local small-town stores and grocers in the Delta. Local convenience stores make koolickles in bulk and sell them for $0.50 to $1.00 to locals and tourists alike. This unlikely combination is a snacking must-have for visits to the Mississippi Delta.
While it may not be the best thing you’ve ever tasted, it definitely falls under that “must try at least once” category. And its popularity is on the rise. There’s even a social media hashtag #koolickle.
How to Make Your Own Koolickle
What should you do if the idea of the koolickle has piqued your interest but a trip to the Mississippi Delta is not possible right now? Lucky for you, they are simple to make!
There are a variety of recipes online, with different types of pickles and processes. However, the overwhelming majority simply requires a jar of kosher dill pickles and one packet of Kool-aid flavoring powder.
- Open the jar of pickles and drain the brine into a separate bowl.
- Add the Kool-aid packet to the brine, and stir until combined and all the powder has dissolved.
- Return the brine to the pickle jar, seal tightly and store in the refrigerator.
- Give it a week, turning the jar or shaking it daily to ensure the flavoring coats the pickles.
Finally, open the jar and enjoy your ready-to-eat koolickles.
Koolickle Tips
If you want to make sure that the color soaks all the way through, use pickle spears or halves. This will better guarantee that the inside of the pickle takes on the kool-aid coloring. If you use whole pickles, the color will still seep through the outer skin, but it may not reach the center of the pickle.
You can use any flavor of kool-aid, which gives you a variety of options for colors and flavors. However, tropical punch seems to be the favorite flavor combination, which gives it a shocking red color.
Try it At Least Once
There are so many reasons to try koolickles! They can be a colorful and fun addition to any summer barbecue or get-together. It’ll definitely be a unique surprise for your guests. Kids also enjoy the process of making them, and it can be an easy and entertaining way to spend an afternoon. Plus, you get to eat the final product!
No matter how you choose to experience them, koolickles are the type of snack you must try at least once—even if just to say you did.