Pickled cabbage is one of the healthiest foods you can eat in winter. Even our grandmothers knew that properly stored pickled cabbage will help you survive the winter when there are no fresh fruits and vegetables. And even though we can buy just about anything in the middle of winter today, there’s no reason to pass up pickled cabbage. Plus, you can make it yourself at home, it’s not difficult.
Central European superfood
Pickled cabbage contains a lot of fibre, probiotics led by lactobacilli, lactic acid and vitamin C. When it comes to this vitamin, cabbage is the record holder. Thanks to the combination of these substances, sauerkraut supports healthy digestion and bowel movements. In addition, it helps to maintain a healthy microflora throughout the digestive and excretory system and strengthens the overall immunity of our organism. With a little exaggeration, we can say that pickled cabbage is such a Central European superfood.
Cabbage Preparation
For a basic recipe, you only need two basic ingredients – good quality cleaned cabbage and one iodine-free salt. All this in a ratio of about 15 grams of salt per kilogram of cabbage. But you can add spices to the pickled cabbage for flavouring according to your taste and preference. Common uses include:
- cumin
- bean leaf
- new spices
- juniper berries
You should put the greens in an earthenware container, it is much more suitable than plastic containers. The cabbage must be finely chopped or shredded. Place a layer of cabbage several centimetres thick in the bottom of the container, salt it and mix it. Then add a second layer, salt it again and stuff it. Continue this until you reach about 5 centimetres below the rim of the pot.
The last few inches should be left blank. Stack the layers of cabbage again, filling as much as possible, and sucking the air out of the container if possible. Cabbage pickling is based on the principle of anaerobic fermentation, so the cabbage should not come into contact with air if at all possible. The cabbage will be ready after a week, then refrigerate it.