Sauerkraut

In nineteenth-century Russia, sauerkraut was valued more than caviar.

Mark Kurlanski

How many of you believe Sauerkraut originated in Germany? Raise your hands if you believe that. Tilly, start counting.

Hope y’all are sitting down, due in part to the fact that sauerkraut was invented by the Chinese while building that great wall of theirs. No salt was used; it was very scarce then, so they used rice wine to ferment and preserve the cabbage. Feeding it to their workers kept them strong and very healthy.

So how did sauerkraut make it to Germany? The Romans, of course. I have said many times when the Romans came to Germany, they brought their recipe book with them.

Those same Romans believed that cabbage would cure everything from baldness to dysentery.

There are some historians that say the Romans brought sauerkraut to Germany and  in the 12^th century, a famous Benedictine abbess, Hildegard of Bingen was using it as a folk medicine.

Tilly: Hildegard of Bingen was admired as a German prophet (prophetissa teutonica). Apart from her spirituality, she foresaw that the world would have to heal itself with natural catastrophes because mankind had disregarded and polluted the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. An amazing lady; her recipes include intriging items such as parsley-honey wine, fennel eye remedy, spice biscuits for the nerves, and a violet elixir.

So were the Romans and Hildegard of Bingen correct. Well, according to some medical historians, uncooked sauerkraut is a lactic fermentation with lots of good probiotics which promotes excellent gut health; it also has lots of vitamin C. In fact, Captain Cook carried sauerkraut on his voyages to prevent his crew from getting scurvy.

The English name is from German (Sauerkraut), meaning “sour cabbage.” Be careful how you use that name. “Kraut”, although derived from sauerkraut, it is considered a derogatory term for the German people. During WW1, due to the concerns of the American public, which would have rejected anything with a German name, the makers of sauerkraut relabeled it “Liberty Cabbage.”

Tilly: One can only speculate, given the vegetable, what was liberated …

 Sauerkraut has traveled the world. From China through ancient Rome to Germany, England, and then the United States. Even Russians like sauerkraut. They use it in a soup called “Solyanka.” It is a controversial soup; just some of the ingredients are tomato paste, sauerkraut, pickles, lemons, and for some, black olives.

Tilly: I like the sound of that soup! Might rustle some up.

So, Tilly: I understand sauerkraut is not really popular in your country. Is that true, and if it is, how will you fix it? Do you use it on a sandwich like some areas in America do?

Tilly: I wouldn’t say it is not popular – lots of varieties on the shelves, including kimchi. I like them all.

A quick recipe for sauerkraut. Go to your local store and buy it. Directions for homemade sauerkraut takes volumes, so again go to your local store and buy it.

Top ten uses for sauerkraut.

1. My favorite is the Ruben Sandwich.
2. Sausage Sauerkraut Soup
3. Sauerkraut Balls
4. Sauerkraut Cake
5. Sauerkraut Latkes
6. Reuben Pizza
7. Eggs Benedict
8. Tuna Sauerkraut Sandwich
9. Sauerkraut Salsa
10. Burritos

And so many more uses.

Tilly: Easy kimchi: Combine 1 large Chinese leaf/Napa cabbage (roughly 1.5 kg), cut into chunks, with 50g of fine sea salt. Let it soften for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Rinse, drain, and mix well with a blended paste of 4-6 garlic cloves, 20g ginger, and 20-50g Gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes, depending on how spicy you like it),1 large carrot (grated), 150g mooli/daikon radish (coarsely grated), and 4 spring onions(chopped), 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or a 50/50 mix of soy sauce and miso paste for a vegan alternative)1 teaspoon sugar or grated apple to jumpstart fermentation. Rinse the.Pack and ferment: Pack firmly into a clean 1-litre glass jar (such as a Kilner jar), leaving about 3 cm at the top. Press it down so the brine rises to cover the vegetables. Burp and store: Leave at room temperature for 2 to 4 days. Open the lid slightly every day to release built-up gas. Taste it on day 2; once it reaches your preferred level of sourness, transfer it to the fridge to slow down the fermentation. Use in any of the ways described above.

‘A life without sauerkraut is possible – but pointless’

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Olive and Tilly