noun
vinegar pickling; vinegar pickles
Refers both to the process of pickling in vinegar and to the resulting pickled food. Common in Japanese cuisine for vegetables, fish, etc.
きゅうりの酢漬けを作った。
I made vinegar-pickled cucumbers.
この魚の酢漬けはさっぱりしていて美味しい。
These vinegar-pickled fish are light and delicious.
漬物 is a broader term for all kinds of pickles, including those made with salt, rice bran, miso, etc., while 酢漬け specifically refers to vinegar-based pickles.
ピクルス is a loanword often used for Western-style pickles in vinegar brine, while 酢漬け is the native Japanese term covering both Japanese and Western vinegar pickles.
Compound of 酢 (su, 'vinegar') + 漬け (zuke, 'pickling'), from the verb 漬ける (tsukeru, 'to soak, pickle').