The market · Seasonings and ferments · Northern and Central Europe, France and the north-west

Sauerkraut

Shredded white cabbage salted and left to ferment in its own brine for weeks, until sour and crunchy. The sour backbone of choucroute, bigos and kwaśnica.

sour · crunchy · funky

What to do with it

Classics built on it
AlsatianChoucroute garnieSauerkraut braised in white wine with juniper, then heaped with smoked and salted pork, sausages and boiled potatoes.No one here has made it yetPolishKwaśnicaThe highlanders' sauerkraut soup, sour and smoky, cooked on pork ribs with potatoes, allspice and bay.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Raw (unpasteurised)
Live, crunchy and sharp; kept chilled.
Pasteurised
Jars and tins — softer and flatter; fine for long braises.

Goes with

porkjuniper berrycaraway seedpotato

Knowing it

Where to buy
Polish and German shops for good raw kraut, sold loose or in tubs with its brine.
Worth knowing
To make it, salt cabbage at about 2% of its weight, pack it under its own brine and leave it somewhere cool for two to six weeks. Rinse only if it's very sour; keep the brine for soups and dressings.

Kitchens that keep it in

Alsace — north-eastern France, between the Vosges and the RhineAlsatianFrench and German at once: sauerkraut and pork, yeasted cakes and bread, fresh cheese and cream, cooked with the dry white wines of the Vosges foothills.9 classicsPolandPolishCold-climate cooking of grains, potatoes, dairy and ferments — sour things, soured things, and dumplings for every occasion.10 classics · 1 cooked here

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