New York Eats

''Pickles were always a staple of European Jewish food, like Romanian pastrami and corned beef," says Marvin Weishaus of the Bronx-based wholesaler United Pickle, which began as a pushcart in the 1890s. ''At one point, there were literally hundreds of Jewish delis in all five boroughs."

Clustered in the ''pickle district" of Essex and Ludlow streets, early 20th-century pickle vendors gave birth to what will forever be thought of as ''New York style" pickles: the explosive full-sour and its more delicate sibling, the half-sour.

Today, the pushcarts have vanished from the Lower East Side, but the area remains a prime destination for a pickle safari on foot.

Guss Pickles is the last holdover from the days of the Essex Street empire. Founded in 1910 by Izzy Guss, the store has moved to Orchard Street and changed ownership several times, but still retains the flavor and feel of its pushcart past. About a dozen barrels line the sidewalk, filled with a wonderful array of pickled options. Guss's employees answer all inquiries before plunging their hands into the barrel of your choice -- after putting on sanitary gloves, just about the only 21st-century detail. Guss's full-sour is uncompromising; its soft consistency and powerful, almost overwhelming, vinegary bite make no concessions to modern notions of subtlety and complexity. The half-sour is divinely crisp, robust, and fruity, and the new pickle, yet another variety that has been stewing for just a few days, retains the brisk taste of fresh cucumber while adding a hint of pickling spices.

Guss's best is perhaps its hot pickle, a modern invention that spices a traditional half-sour with a distinct but not overpowering kick. Also spectacular are Guss's pickled celery (salty and coated with mustard seeds) and pickled red bell peppers (delicately sweet without being syrupy).