Copper Compounds Used to Color Pickles and Preserves
Poet involved
What happened
In the mid-19th century, it was common practice to use copper sulfate and other copper compounds to give pickles, bottled fruits, and preserves a bright green color. This practice was both fraudulent and dangerous, as copper is toxic and can cause liver and kidney damage. The use of such toxic colorings was eventually exposed by reformers like Frederick Accum and Arthur Hill Hassall.
Literary impact
The bright green pickles and preserves that contained copper became a symbol of the deceptive allure of industrial food. Poets and writers used this imagery to comment on the superficiality of Victorian society, where appearances were often maintained at the cost of health. The motif of the 'poisoned pickle' appears in the works of Lewis Carroll and other writers of nonsense literature, who used surreal and unsettling imagery to critique the norms of their time.
Source: Victorian Web
