AstringentAn astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin adstringere, which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian plant, are astringents, as are the powdered leaves of the myrtle. Astringency, the dry, puckering or numbing mouthfeel caused by the tannins in unripe fruits, lets the fruit mature by deterring eating.
Pickled cucumberA pickled cucumber – commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin (gərkɪn) in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand – is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment. The fermentation process is executed either by immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation. Pickled cucumbers are often part of mixed pickles.
Potassium bitartratePotassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula KC4H5O6, is a byproduct of winemaking. In cooking, it is known as cream of tartar. It is processed from the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid). The resulting powder can be used in baking or as a cleaning solution (when mixed with an acidic solution such as lemon juice or white vinegar). Potassium bitartrate was first characterized by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786).
