@Disere Nau Welcome to this most important community in Skool, Disere, and thanks for your Schrödinger’s-cat-like question. Enclosed is Grok’s answer — thanks, Elon! A cucumber placed in vinegar (typically as part of a brine with water, salt, spices, and sometimes sugar) becomes a pickle through the pickling process, where acetic acid from the vinegar preserves it and imparts a tangy, sour flavor. There's no single, precise moment of transformation—it's a gradual process driven by osmosis and acid penetration, changing the cucumber's texture, color (from bright green to duller/olive), and taste. Quick "Refrigerator" Pickles For quick "refrigerator" pickles (vinegar-based, no fermentation), thinly sliced cucumbers can start tasting pickled in as little as 30-60 minutes, with good flavor developing after 1-3 hours and peaking after 24 hours or more in the fridge. Whole or speared cucumbers take longer, often several days to fully absorb the flavors. Full-Flavored Pickles Many consider it a true pickle once the sourness is pronounced and consistent throughout—usually after at least a day or two for sliced versions, or weeks for canned or fully processed ones. Ultimately, it's subjective: as soon as someone calls it a "pickle" instead of a "vinegar-soaked cucumber," that's when it qualifies! In everyday terms (especially in the US), "pickle" simply means a pickled cucumber, regardless of exact timing.