The internet is going crazy over this dill pickle soup

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By Tracy Saelinger   –   USA Today

You’re usually in the pickle camp or you’re not. If you’re a true pickle devotee, though, you’re probably on board for pretty much anything pickled: fried pickles, pickle-brined chicken, quick pickles, pickle-juice cocktails. You get the idea.

So when those of us pickle lovers at TODAY Food heard about a dill pickle soup recipe that’s going viral, we decided what we’re having for dinner tonight.

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The recipe is the creation of Cathy Pollak, a food and travel writer, winemaker and wine grower based in McMinnville, the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine country — not far from Portland, where of course, the city’s love of pickles inspired the “You can pickle that!” sketch on Portlandia.

On her blog, Noble Pig, Pollak posted the original recipe a few years ago­, and it swept the country then. But more recently, she posted a video to Facebook, and it went wild — to the tune of 15 million views and counting.

“It took on a life of its own mostly because people are either in love with the idea (pickle lovers) or they are disgusted with the idea,” Pollack told TODAY Food.

If you, too, have pickle juice running through your veins, you’re probably with the tens of thousands of commenters who have posted things like “I NEED this” or a string of green-emoji hearts. “Seriously people, make it! It’s so much better than it sounds. Don’t forget to get some crusty bread to dip in there!” encourages one poster.

Others are ambivalent — there’s lot of “I’m still not sure how I feel about this” comments — to vehement dissenters: “This makes me want to vomit!” writes a poster, who, full disclosure, once accepted a dare to drink a cup of pickle juice. OK, well, that makes sense.

The recipe itself, which you can find here, is easy: It calls for a dozen ingredients and takes about 30 minutes to make, start to finish.

Note: You will need at least 2 cups of pickle juice (personally, after I’m done with a jar of pickles, I keep the remaining juice in the fridge for situations just like this!). Pollak does mention in the recipe, “All pickle juice is not created equal. Some are saltier than others.” After adding the pickle juice, taste the soup before adding the final seasonings, and adjust accordingly, she suggests.

As pickle lovers, we implore you to give it a try — and report back if you do.