Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is finely-sliced white cabbage fermented with lactobacillus bacteria. The sugars in the cabbage are thereby converted into lactic acid and serve as a preservative. The German word Sauerkraut means sour herb not sour cabbage as many believe. Sour cabbage would be Sauerkohl.Sauerkraut is thought to have originated in the north of China among the Mongols and was introduced in Europe by migrating tribes. Eastern Europeans, in particular, consume a large amount of sauerkraut. Jews adopted sauerkraut as part of their cuisine and are thought to have introduced it to the northern countries, Western Europe, and to the United States.
Sauerkraut is a staple of the winter diet in Germany and the Netherlands, although its popularity in these countries has decreased during the last few decades and it is now seen as a bit old-fashioned. While sauerkraut is customarily prepared with pork, Jews generally chose goose or duck meat to go with it.
Raw sauerkraut is a good source of Vitamin C and other health-furthering substances that used to be lacking during the winter in times before freezing and importation from southern countries became generally available in northern and central Europe. Captain James Cook always took a store of sauerkraut on his sea voyages, since experience had taught him that it was an effective remedy against scurvy.
Basic sauerkraut is made by cutting fresh cabbage into fine strips, and packing it tightly into an airtight container while mixing in a certain amount of salt, approximately 1.5%. Traditionally, a stoneware crock is used and the seal is created with a piece of wet linen cloth, a board and a heavy stone. The fermentation vessel is kept at 23°C for three days, then left in cooler temperatures for eight weeks.
Variations include sauerkraut prepared from whole cabbages instead of shredded ones. Sometimes other vegetables are added. Sometimes spices and/or wine are added. There are many other vegetables that have been preserved by a similar process, for example in Korean cuisine. Also, silage, a feed for cattle, is made the same way.
For preparation at home, the various methods are somewhat controversial. The USDA recommendations call for a greater amount of salt than is traditional, making the sauerkraut unpalatably salty unless rinsed before eating. Such rinsing removes a good deal of the flavor. When traditional amounts of salt are used, temperature control becomes more critical, because food poisoning can occur if the fermentation temperature is too high.
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2 See also 3 Bibliography |
USDA Canning guides, Volume 7
Keeping Food Fresh
rec.foods.preserving FAQ
Similar Foods
See also
Bibliography