A September of Sauerkraut

A September of Sauerkraut

I’ve decided each month to take a deep dive into one fermented food or drink, and we are starting with one of the easiest ones, Sauerkraut, Kraut or Chucrute (here in Portugal).

Sauerkraut is simply fermented cabbage, which if it’s not pasteurised (cooked) after making it (that some crazy people do) it’s packed full of masses of beneficial bacteria/probiotics (WAY more than any pill/capsule).

Many people think Sauerkraut is from Germany when in fact, although it’s been a major part of German cuisine for a long time, it came from China (where it was originally fermented with rice wine instead of salt and water). It then found its way to other Eastern European countries before settling in Germany too. It is believed that sauerkraut is one of the oldest ways to preserve vegetables and has been documented as far back as 400B.C.

The potential benefits of Sauerkraut…

• Improved digestive health
• Immune support
• Improved mood
• Reduced inflammation
• Increased uptake of nutrients from other foods
• Brings balance to yeast overgrowths in the body
• Amazing detoxifier!
• Can assist in undoing the damage antibiotics do
• Most Sauerkrauts contain vitamins A, B, C & K

These days Sauerkraut is made with a finely shredded/grated white cabbage, roughly 1 tbsp or 2-2.5% salt and a lot of pounding/squishing/massaging etc to release the liquid/brine from the cabbage and then stuffed tightly with the brine in a sterilised jar and left to ferment usually for 3-6 weeks, however it can be as little as just a few days (especially if you have histamine issues going on currently) or as much as several months.  Fermenters have been adding in things like caraway and juniper traditionally for some time now too.

These day we all like foods with lots of flavour these days though, so there are TONS of different flavoured Sauerkrauts now; Indian, Mexican, Thai, Spicy, with fruits, with red cabbage instead of white cabbage and pretty much any herb or spice you can think of can be used.  Just note that if you add fruit, it will ferment quicker and not keep quite so long.

Sauerkraut will easily keep for over a year if you keep it cool, so there is really no need to pasteurise it for longer storage.

If you are buying Sauerkraut from the store and it’s on a shelf and not in the fridge then it’s almost certainly been pasteurised to be able to be shelf stable, otherwise it would go boom eventually if just sat on a shelf for months.  Always buy from a fridge and check the label, usually it will say raw or unpasteurised on it.

Keep the juice when you have finished eating your Sauerkraut and drink it or use it in salad dressings etc, as it’s just as beneficial as the Sauerkraut itself.

Sauerkraut is one of the easiest and cheapest ferments you can make, so it’s great for beginners or pro’s (as you can also get quite inventive with your recipes too).  Kimchi Kraut is one of my favourites, as it’s easier than normal Kimchi  but just as yummy.

Because Sauerkraut is an amazing detoxifier, I recommend starting with just a little, maybe 1 tsp per day to start with and build up.  People often say to me they are intolerant to Sauerkraut (or ferments in general) but usually it’s that they have consumed a lot in one go and their body is detoxing.  Start with a little and slowly each day build up.  You could also have a reaction after antibiotics or stomach bugs and again it’s because you are detoxing.

I’ll be sharing more about Sauerkraut and some simple Sauerkraut recipes over this coming month.  If you have any Sauerkraut questions, you’d like covered, please pop them below.