Title: Sauerkraut 5
Categories: Preserve Pickle Vegetable French
Yield: 1 Servings

1

Text file

Cut a head of white cabbage in stripes. Put in in a brine made with water and 2.25% of salt. At a temperature of 18 to 21 °C, the bacteria leuconostoc mesenteroides liberates lactic acid (c3h6o3, actually half a molecule of glucose, c6h12o6). When the concentration of lactic acid reaches 1%, it is replaced by lactobacillus plantarum, that also excretes acid. Optimal acidity is reached after about two weeks.

Ideally, and that is how we traditionally prepare it in my Alsace home, you should have a big earthenware pot with a heavy lid that closes by reposing on the cabbage rather than on the pot itself and put a heavy stone on it. We usually make choucroute (sauerkraut) at this time of year. It keeps well, when conserved as described above, until April or May.

Do not forget to carefully wash your sauerkraut before cooking it !

Mathieu

From: Michael Loo Date: 22 Nov 96 National Cooking Echo Ä

previous

next