The Origin Of The Peanut Butter And Pickle Sandwich

There's nothing quite like a classic peanut butter sandwich, and the sweet and sticky dish is a favorite amongst sandwich lovers ages 9 to 90. Some prefer to add a typical grape jelly spread while others enjoy slices of banana or a drizzle of honey. However, these sweet toppings are not the only ingredients that partner well with peanut butter. PB&P might actually be the superior pairing — and by that, we mean peanut butter and pickles.

Like many eyebrow-raising food concoctions, the peanut butter and pickle sandwich can be traced back to the Great Depression era in the United States. During a time of widespread economic strife, families did whatever they could to put food on the table. For manufacturers, this need sparked the invention of many foods we still use today, such as Bisquick, Miracle Whip, and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. Within the home, food scarcity also brought about more creative recipes like celery soup with tuna, corned beef in gelatin, and, yes, peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.

Peanut butter and pickles were both foods that made their mark during the Great Depression, and the idea to combine these polar opposites came less out of a weird pregnancy craving or late-night experiment, and more as a way to utilize ingredients that were most accessible and turn them into a meal. All across America in the 1930s, households had to get really creative with their dishes in order to stave off hunger without breaking the bank. 

At the time, peanut butter was an extremely cheap product – so cheap, in fact, that peanut butter-stuffed onions were also heavily promoted during the Great Depression. Bread was another common food because it was easy to make and kept you feeling full for longer. And pickles were a pantry staple because they could be kept in brine for a long time without going bad. With just three cheap and easy ingredients, families could throw together an affordable meal in no time. But the creation soon went beyond price and convenience.

The New York Times reported that this Great Depression-era meal was so popular, it was even offered at deli counters. Finding the unique concoction on restaurant menus may be more difficult in the age of avocado toast and hearty sub sandwiches, but many people still have fond memories of enjoying this Depression-era sandwich, most likely introduced to them by family members who grew up during that difficult time. As the Times reporter confirmed: "A lot of people's grandmothers used to eat them."

While the combination of peanut butter and pickles sounds like a crazy pairing if you've never tried it before, the nearly 100-year-old sandwich still has some die-hard supporters. One Reddit user recalled the PB&P as a "common lunch or after-school snack in my Midwestern hometown." Another user reminisced, " ... Huge fan of the PB&P. Been eating them since I started solid foods."

When one curious Redditor asked how exactly the sandwich should be assembled and what kind of pickles and peanut butter to use, a commenter shared, "Think like two whole pickles split lengthwise in one sandwich. Or the way I go: Five to six Gedney baby dills. Creamy Jif PB is the best." More users chimed in claiming that the right kind of pickle can make or break the sandwich experience. It may seem like a no-brainer for a brined bread and butter pickle or a sweet pickle to be the ideal choice for the nutty sandwich, but it's actually salty dill pickles that most of the PB&P's fans prefer. 

Peanut butter and pickle sandwich lovers enjoy the clash of a sweet and nutty spread against the pickle's acidic tang that marries together in an unexpected, yet undeniably tasty mixture. After some convincing, this writer tried it out firsthand and can confidently report that peanut butter and pickles on a sandwich work surprisingly well together.