I Tried The NYT's Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwich Recipe and I Liked It

I was scrolling on Facebook (as one does) and saw something posted by the New York Times that I did not think could be real.

Peanut butter and pickle sandwich. There were so many comments that I thought it can't be a thing. It seemed I was not the only person who was skeptical of this recipe.

Now THAT is the kind of journalist I love! Curious, unafraid and willing to try something even if it means he is wrong. So I went I followed the link.

I know I should not make assumptions, but I'm going to trust that if you are reading this you have some sandwich-making in your background. Maybe you've combined jelly, bananas, bacon or marshmallow fluff with your peanut butter and bread before. Maybe you've had a pickle on the side of your sandwich. But could this really be a good combo? I did a little research.

I found many conversations around the peanut butter and pickle sandwich going back to 2012. Then, the NYT called the pickle peanut butter's "unlikely best friend." The article said the combo goes back to the Great Depression era. It also mentioned some other peanut butter pals like onions, mayonnaise and olives. It even quoted one person who founded a peanut butter company (and whom I automatically considered to be a possible expert):

In the United States, we're used to peanut butter with really sweet pairings. But in other cultures, combining savory with sour is more of a tradition. Look at Chinese, Indian and Thai food, for example, in curries and satays and moles. I'd put peanut butter and pickle roughly in that tradition.

SOLD. To the pantry and refrigerator I went!

Unlike the photo in the recipe, I did not have white bread. The recipe did all for my favorite bread and Dave's is it! My PB of choice is Peter Pan honey roast, creamy not crunchy. I found many articles that said bread and butter pickles are best. I keep those specifically for sandwiches.

Next step: assembly. I debated toasting the bread. I thought the crunch from the pickles would be enough. I put peanut butter on each piece of bread because who wants a dry sandwich? I did a single layer of pickles because if this was absolutely disgusting I didn't want to waste the pickles. I cut it in half and then stared at it for a minute or so. There was absolutely nothing about this sandwich that I didn't like. So why didn't I want to take a bite? I told myself that if I didn't like it I could make another sandwich and it would be F-I-N-E.

There it is. One bite in and I chewed slowly. First, I tasted the peanut butter, then the pickle. I could feel the different sides of my tongue registering these unlikely partners. As I continued to chew, I was stunned. 

It was as if I had pulled off some sort of culinary wizardry! The tangy sweet was not much different than jelly - a crunchy jelly. I would absolutely eat this again. I might even try another combo mentioned in a few of the articles: jalapenos.

I did go back to the original post and to the reporter's Facebook page but did not see his review. Here's my final word: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐