Sauerkraut
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[Sauerkraut] , a typical German dish, is finely sliced white cabbage fermented by various lactic acid bacteria including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. It has good keeping qualities and a distinctive sour flavor that both result from lactic acid, which forms when the bacteria ferment sugars in the fresh cabbage. The word comes from the German Sauerkraut, which literally translates to sour cabbage. Sauerkraut is a prominent feature of cuisines from most of the cold regions of Europe, and it is eaten in many parts in the U.S.A. and Canada as well. A similar food is also seen in Manchuria, where it is called "suan cai" in Mandarin.
Preparation
Traditionally, the container is a stoneware crock and the seal is created with a piece of wet linen cloth, a board, and a heavy stone. This arrangement is not fully airtight and will lead to spoiled sauerkraut unless the surface of the brine is skimmed daily to remove molds and other aerobic contaminants that grow on the surface where there is contact with air. An alternative that avoids this problem is a type of ceramic jar (made especially for home sauerkraut production) that has a trough around its lid. When this trough is filled with water the result is an airtight seal. Glass canning jars with clamped threadless lids can also be used. Whatever kind of container is used, it must allow the escape of fermentation gasses. Commercial-scale sauerkraut production typically employs large airtight plastic barrels.
Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called lacto-fermentation that is analogous to how traditional (not heat-treated) cucumber pickles are made. Fully cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in an airtight container stored at or below 15°C. Neither refrigeration nor pasteurization are required, though these treatments can prolong storage life.
No special culture of lactic acid bacteria is needed because these bacteria are already present on raw cabbage. Yeasts are also present, which cause soft sauerkraut of poor flavor when the fermentation temperature is too high.
Variations include sauerkraut prepared from whole cabbages instead of shredded strips. Sometimes other vegetables are added, such as carrots. Spices may be added; caraway and juniper berries are traditional. Sometimes wine is added. Red cabbage can be used to make sauerkraut, but this is rare and not traditional. When sauerkraut is made from turnips or rutabagas, the product is called sauerrüben.
For preparation at home, the USDA recommends a greater amount of salt than is traditional, making the sauerkraut unpalatably salty unless rinsed before eating. Such rinsing removes much of the nutrient content and flavor. When traditional amounts of salt are used, temperature control is critical, because spoilage leading to food poisoning can occur if the fermentation temperature is too high. However, once made, sauerkraut is a very safe food, because its high acidity prevents spoilage. USDA also recommends pasteurizing sauerkraut for storage, though this is not necessary if the raw sauerkraut has been properly made and stored. To be safe, do not eat any sauerkraut that has a slimy or excessively soft texture, or a discoloration or off-flavor, any of which can indicate spoilage.
Serving
Sauerkraut is a common and traditional ingredient in German cuisine, Alsatian French cuisine, and the Slavic cuisines of Central, Eastern Europe, as well as in Manchuria. It is also eaten in the Friuli region of Italy, where it is called capuzi garbi.Sauerkraut can be eaten raw and unadorned; in this form it is often eaten as a relish with meat dishes, for example, as condiment on bratwurst or North American hot dogs. Raw sauerkraut dressed with oil and onions is served as a salad. However, sauerkraut is commonly cooked before it is eaten.
Cooked sauerkraut preparations include Central and Eastern European soups and stews, such as bigos, shchi or kapusniak (sauerkraut soup); filled dumplings (pierogi); and seasoned sauerkraut served as a hot vegetable side dish.
In Alsace (a region of France that belonged to Germany until 1678 and from 1870 until 1919), the traditional sauerkraut dish is choucroute garnie (garnished sauerkraut): a one-dish meal of sauerkraut, sausages, pieces of meat such as ham knuckle, and perhaps potatoes, all cooked together in goose fat. Typical accompaniment beverages are beer or white wine (Riesling).
Common ingredients in cooked sauerkraut dishes (besides those already mentioned) are bacon, caraway, and apples.
Kraut juice is a regional beverage in the USA that consists of the liquid in which sauerkraut is cured.
In Manchuria, the traditional cuisine with sauerkraut (suan cai) is to make pork stews or dumplings.
In North America, sauerkraut is a key ingredient in the Reuben sandwich.
Geographical spread
Sauerkraut is similar to many ancient Northeastern Asian dishes, including Korean kimchi and other fermented vegetables. In Manchuria, people make a similar dish suan cai, which also literally translates to "sour vegetable".
It has long been associated with German Cuisine although Eastern Europeans consume a large amount of sauerkraut and it has long been a staple of the diet in Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, and Poland (raw as kiszona kapusta or in a dish as bigos). The popularity of the dish in Alsace has spread sauerkraut (choucroute in French) to other regions of France. In Latvia it is popularly and affectionately known as skābi kāposti; in Estonia, it is known as hapukapsas (often prepared with the cumin or cranberries) – as well as in Lithuania (rauginti kopūstai).
Immigrants to America from Germany (e.g. the Pennsylvania Dutch) and other European regions brought their traditional preparation methods and appreciation of this food. Sauerkraut's popularity in Europe and America continues today, though in somewhat reduced measure due to the convenience of modern alternative preserving methods. Many people in Argentina also eat sauerkraut.
In the USA there is an annual sauerkraut festival held in [Phelps, NY].
The area of continental Europe where Sauerkraut is probably the most typical regional dish is Leinfelden-Echterdingen, the town where Stuttgart Airport is located and the annual "Kraufest" takes place since 1978 in order to celebrate the end of the cabbage season around the middle of October with nowadays up to 40,000 visitors.
Health
Raw sauerkraut is an extremely healthy food. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, lactobacilli (even more than yogurt), and other nutrients. However, the low pH and overabundance of lactobacilli can easily upset the stomach of people who are not used to eating raw sauerkraut. Sauerkraut provided a vital source for these nutrients during the winter, especially before freezing and importation of foods 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. It is now known that the preservation of sauerkraut in an anaerobic environment (under the brine) keeps the vitamin C in it from being oxidized. There is some evidence [link] that indicates that Kimchi and by extension sauerkraut may be used to treat avian influenza in birds. There is currently no evidence of its effects on humans.
Sauerkraut is also a source of biogenic amines such as tyramine, which in sensitive people can cause adverse reactions [link] [link].
Similar Foods
There are many other vegetables that are preserved by a similar process, for example in Korean cuisine.
Also silage, a feed for cattle, is made the same way.
| Herbs, seasonings and spices | |
| Herbs | basil · bay leaf · borage · chives · coriander leaf (a.k.a. cilantro) · dill · marjoram · fennel · mint · oregano · parsley · rosemary · sage · savory · tarragon · thyme · |
| Seasonings | curry powder · lemon · liquorice · MSG · onion powder · saccharin · salt · stevia · sugar · vanilla · vinegar · |
| Spices | allspice · anise · cardamom · cayenne pepper · chile powder · cinnamon · clove · coriander seeds · cumin · fenugreek · garlic · ginger · nutmeg · paprika · pepper · saffron · sarsaparilla · sassafras · tamarind · turmeric · white mustard · |
See also
- Pickling
- Kraut
- Bratwurst (Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and potatoes being a traditional dish in various parts of the southern German-speaking world)
Bibliography
- USDA Canning guides, Volume 7
External links
- [12 International Sauerkraut Recipes]
- [Korean dish 'may cure bird flu']
- [Great recipe for making your own sauerkraut]
- [The Sauerkraut Fermentation described here]
- [United Nations FAO information on lactic acid fermentation]
- [Fermenting food since before H. sapiens appeared]
- [Official L-E Kraufest Homepage]
- [Sauerkraut Recipes]
- [Sauerkraut Recipe Collection] - Private Collection of Sauerkraut Recipes
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