Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut (

Although "sauerkraut" is from a German word (Sauerkraut), the dish did not originate in Germany. Some claim fermenting cabbage suan cai was already practised in the days of the building of the Great Wall of China.^[7] However, the Romans, as previously noted, pickled forms of cabbage, and were the more likely source of modern-day European sauerkraut.^[8] It then took root in Central and Eastern European cuisines, but also in other countries including the Netherlands, where it is known as zuurkool, and France, where the name became choucroute.^[9] According to Mack and Surina (2005), the Slavic peoples of Europe likely discovered fermented cabbage on their own.^[10] The English name is borrowed from German where it means "sour cabbage".^[1]

The names in Slavic and other Central and Eastern European languages have similar meanings with the German word: "fermented cabbage" (Albanian: lakër turshi, Azerbaijani: kələm turşusu,^[11] Belarusian: квашаная капуста, Czech: kysané zelí, Lithuanian: rauginti kopūstai, Polish: kapusta kiszona, Russian: квашеная капуста/кислая капуста,, romanized: kvašenaja kapusta, Turkish: lahana turşusu,

Before frozen foods, refrigeration, and cheap transport from warmer areas became readily available in Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, sauerkraut – like other preserved foods – provided a source of nutrients during the winter. Captain James Cook always took a store of sauerkraut on his sea voyages, since experience had taught him it prevented scurvy.^[13][14]

The word "Kraut", derived from this food, is a derogatory term for the German people.^[15] During World War I, due to concerns the American public would reject a product with a German name, American sauerkraut makers relabeled their product as "liberty cabbage" for the duration of the war.^[16]

Production

Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called lactic acid fermentation that is analogous to how traditional (not heat-treated) pickled cucumbers and kimchi are made. The cabbage is finely shredded, layered with salt, and left to ferment. Fully cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in an airtight container stored at 15 °C (60 °F) or below. Neither refrigeration nor pasteurization is required, although these treatments prolong storage life.

Fermentation by

The Dutch sauerkraut industry found that inoculating a new batch of sauerkraut with an old batch resulted in an exceedingly sour product. This sourdough process is known as "backslopping" or "inoculum enrichment"; when used in making sauerkraut, first- and second-stage population dynamics, important to developing flavor, are bypassed. This is due primarily to the greater initial activity of species L. plantarum.^[19]

Regional varieties

In

A homemade type of very mild sauerkraut is available, where white cabbage is pickled with salt in a refrigerator for only three to seven days. This process results in very little lactic acid production. Sometimes in Russia double fermentation is used, with the initial step producing an exceptionally sour product, which is then "corrected" by adding 30-50% more fresh cabbage and fermenting the mix again. The flavor additives like apples, beets, cranberries, and sometimes even watermelons are usually introduced at this step.

Sauerkraut may be used as a filling for

In Ukraine, sauerkraut is known as кисла капуста (kysla kapusta) 'sour cabbage' or квашена капуста (kvashena kapusta) 'fermented cabbage'.

In Russia, sauerkraut is known as кислая капуста (kyslaya kapusta) 'sour cabbage' or квашеная капуста (kvashenaya kapusta) 'fermented cabbage'.

In

In Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, North Macedonia and Slovenia, usually the whole cabbage heads are pickled. Such produce is used for many dishes, from a simple salad made of chopped cabbage and sprinkled with paprika, to cabbage rolls. In northern parts of Serbia and Croatia, it is often added to the bean soup. In central Serbia, a local specialty called "wedding cabbage" is made by slowly stewing roughly cut cabbage with at least three kinds of meats, lean, fatty, and smoked.

In Romania, the local type of sauerkraut ("varza murata" = whole pickled cabbage heads) are used as wrap for the national dish called "Sarmale", a Turkish-inspired roll, made of pickled cabbage leaves with minced pork and rice, having its own personality and very distinct in taste from its Ottoman predecessor.

In

In Chile it is called chucrut and is a common topping for sandwiches and hotdogs, especially for completos.

Sauerkraut, along with

• 
  Cooked sauerkraut
• 
  Dutch zuurkoolstamppot includes sauerkraut mashed with potatoes and is traditionally served with rookworst.
• 
  Pierogi with sauerkraut
• 
  Kapuśniak made with sauerkraut
• 
  Central European-style sauerkraut and sausages is a popular snack dish in pubs.
• 
  Czech Vepřo-knedlo-zelo
• 
  Pickled Eisbein served with sauerkraut
• 
  Alsatian Choucroute garnie

As Europeans, especially Germans, emigrated to other countries, many of them continued making and eating sauerkraut around the world.^[27]

Health effects

Benefits

Many health benefits have been claimed for sauerkraut:

• It is a high source of vitamins C and K;^[30] the fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients rendering sauerkraut even more nutritious than the original cabbage.^[31] It is also low in food energy and high in calcium and magnesium, and it is a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper and manganese.^[30]
• If
  probiotics improve digestion and promote the growth of healthy bowel flora, protecting against many diseases of the digestive tract.^[31][32]

• During the American Civil War, the physician John Jay Terrell (1829–1922)^[33] was able to successfully reduce the death rate from disease among prisoners of war; he attributed this to feeding his patients raw sauerkraut.^[34]
• Sauerkraut and its juice is a time-honored
  folk remedy for canker sores. The treatment is to rinse the mouth with sauerkraut juice for about 30 seconds several times a day, or place a wad of sauerkraut against the affected area for a minute or so before chewing and swallowing the sauerkraut.^[35]
• In 2002, the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reported that Finnish researchers found the
  isothiocyanates produced in sauerkraut fermentation inhibit the growth of cancer cells in test tube and animal studies.^[36] A Polish study in 2010 concluded that "induction of the key detoxifying enzymes by cabbage juices, particularly sauerkraut, may be responsible for their chemopreventive activity demonstrated by epidemiological studies and in animal models".^{[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]}

Excessive consumption of sauerkraut may lead to bloating and flatulence due to the trisaccharide raffinose, which the human small intestine cannot break down. This does not negatively affect long-term health, although it might be uncomfortable.^[45] Additionally, sauerkraut has a very high sodium content.^[46]

Similar foods

Many other vegetables are preserved by a similar fermentation pickling process:

See also

• Baiuvarii
• Coleslaw
• Foods containing tyramine – Chemical compound
• List of ancient dishes and foods
• List of cabbage dishes
• List of fermented foods
• Sauerkraut missions
• Suan cai – Traditional Chinese pickled vegetables
• Whole sour cabbage – Fermented vegetable preserve

References

Bibliography

• USDA Canning guides, Volume 7
• "rec.foods.preserving FAQ". Retrieved 23 April 2006.
• Aubert, Claude (1999). Keeping Food Fresh: Old World Techniques & Recipes. Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
  ISBN 978-1-890132-10-1
  .
• Fallon, Sally; Enig, Mary G. (2001). Nourishing Traditions...[westonaprice.org; newtrendspublishing.com]. New Trends Publishing.
  ISBN 978-0-9670897-3-7
  .
• Katz, Sandor Ellix (2003). Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. Chelsea Green Publishing Company.
  ISBN 978-1-931498-23-4
  . Retrieved 23 April 2006.
• Kaufmann, Klaus (2001). Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home. Book Publishing Company.
  ISBN 978-1-55312-037-7. Archived from the original
  on 28 June 2009.

External links

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on

• Sauerkraut

Look up sauerkraut in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sauerkraut.

• Laboratory Exercise in Sauerkraut Fermentation
• Fermenting food since before H. sapiens appeared. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
• Crunchy pickled cabbage: video-tutorial
• Fermentation Tips for Beginners
• Sauerkraut for Gut Health