I used to hate sauerkraut as a kid.
But when I went to Germany on a business trip I had real sauerkraut and loved it!..............
Man I hope they did these experiments under a hood in a chemistry lab.
I went to the doctor and he told me unless I start eating sauerkraut I will die. I went home and my wife asked what the doctor said. I told her “Doc says I’m gonna die.”
Would it also help if a hypothetical Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers? I discovered a few brands of pickled Jalapeno peppers that I can enjoy for flavor and a small burst of heat at the end of my meals.
I may be conducting taste experiments with Serrano peppers next. Not ready for Ghost Peppers, tho.
Be careful with sauerkraut as it is very high in histamines and can cause many allergic reactions in the body, including sinus congestion. Other high histamine foods are hard cheeses, avocado and spinach.
Here is an excellent article, the diagram linking histamines to many medical ailments summarizes it very well.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523280533?via%3Dihub
I used to be hit or miss on sauerkraut.
About 10 years ago, I was attending a Catholic church in northeast Minneapolis. The congregation is strongly of Polish descent. They even have a Polish national flag near the altar.
Every fall, they’d hold their festival and have a chicken dinner. At the time, there was an elderly woman who’d make a boatload of sauerkraut for the dinner. It was her contribution to the church.
Everyone raved about it and I thought “Hmmm, what’s the big deal?”. Then I ate some and realized just how darned good it was. Broasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, rye bread and a helping of sauerkraut.
A most memorable meal.
German supermarkets sell sauerkraut juice.
Works well in the lederhosen too, from what I’ve heard
Bkmk
Anybody have an idea on whether or not the health benefits still apply if you heat it? I usually pan fry mine with bacon and cheese, and prep it by getting rid of the excess liquid. Got a feeling I’m removing whatever health benefits there are but, hey, still good eating! :)
The only way I will ever eat it is on a hot dog.
The young German lady at this link (Michaela, who reminds me of one of my cousins) explains how to ferment cabbage for Sauerkraut. (Augie I know you make it too! I have seen the pictures you posted on the FR Garden thread of a crock full of sauerkraut !) While she is a vegan, I think that this would go well with bratwurst, ham or a pork loin roast! (Eat raw for its benefits. Cook it and you kill the bacteria!)
A few notes; Sterilize the jars first. If you have to add liquid to cover the sauerkraut make brine and do NOT use clorinated tap water which can kill the beneficial bacteria you are trying to cultivate. (Boil any water first to drive off the chlorine.) For the same reason do NOT use iodized salt, use non-iodized canning or kosher salt. (Even though most iodine in something like Morton's salt has probably sublimated away by the time it is placed on the grocery store shelf.) You can buy fermenting kit supplies like self burping lids and weights on Amazon. )
If anyone wants to learn how to grow the cabbage....
Michaela has a nice fried potato dumpling recipe as well!
Alsatian style sauerkraut, slowly cooked in wine and favored with salt pork and juniper berries. Fond memories from Strasbourg
Family is evenly divided on this - 1/2 hate it with a passion 1/2 love it. I think it depends on the quality and “bite” of the sauerkraut.
My grandmother used to make it homemade in a large barrel, apparently it keeps almost forever. She passed before I was old enough to try it.
Looking at pork and sauerkraut recipes now. Those that hate it can have a hot dog - without sauerkraut.
We eat it all the time.
Not a single mention of *kimchi*, however. Very popular in Korea, it is like super sauerkraut. Not only that, but it is not pasteurized, so if you are eating it for the bacteria, you don’t miss out.
Hot and spicy, the vegetables taste “carbonated”.
Sauerkraut:
Made from easy to grow cabbage with a wide growing season and high productivity per acre.
Easy to ferment.
Easy to store, no refrigeration.
Very high vitamin C content.
Can be combined with a wide variety of meats and root vegetables.
Almost the perfect survival food.
New!