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Sauerkraut is finely
shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria,
including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long
shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic
acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage. It is
therefore not to be confused with coleslaw, which receives its acidic taste from
vinegar. |
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Left: Polish Sauerkraut (Kiszona
kapusta). |
The word comes directly from the German language, which literally translates to
sour cabbage. Sauerkraut is traditional in German, Austrian, Croatian
(kiseli kupus), Slovenian (kislo zelje), Slovak (kyslá kapusta), Polish (kiszona
kapusta), Czech (kysané zelí), Dutch (zuurkool), Estonian (hapukapsas), Finnish
(hapankaali), Latvian (skābi kāposti), Lithuanian (rauginti kopūstai), Danish
and Norwegian (surkål), Romanian (varză murată), Serbian (кисели купус/kiseli
kupus), Bulgarian (кисело зеле kiselo zele), Russian (квашеная капуста
kvashenaya kapusta), Ukrainian, Hungarian (savanyú káposzta), and Belarusian
cuisines. Finally, it is also popular in Northern
Italy, Alsace Lorraine in North Eastern France,
many parts of Northeast and Northern China, the USA, Chile (chucrut), and
Canada.
Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called
lacto-fermentation that is analogous to how traditional (not heat-treated)
pickled cucumbers are made. Fully-cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in
an airtight container stored at or below 15°C (59°F).
No special culture of lactic acid bacteria is needed because these bacteria
already are present on raw cabbage. The
fermentation process has three phases. In the first phase, anaerobic bacteria
such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter lead the fermentation, and begin producing
an acid environment that favours later bacteria. The second phase starts as the
acid levels become too high for many bacteria, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides and
other Leuconostoc spp. take dominance. In the third phase, various Lactobacillus
species including L. brevis and L. plantarum ferment any remaining sugars,
further lowering the pH.
A study at King's College, London, found that "pickled cabbage", or sauerkraut, was
an aphrodisiac as effective at increasing
sexual function as the popular drug Viagra.
