Whole sour cabbage (Croatian: Kiselo zelje u glavicama, Serbian: Kiseli kupus u glavicama, literally: "cabbage soured in heads") is a fermented vegetable food preserve, popular in Eastern European and Balkan cuisines. It is similar to sauerkraut, with the difference that it is prepared through the lacto-fermentation for several weeks of whole heads of cabbage, not separate leaves or grated mass. No vinegar or boiling is required. It is a homemade food preserve, commonly prepared in large barrels filled with whole cabbage heads and water salted with sea salt.
Preparation
After the external leaves and core have been removed, the cabbage heads are salted, packed into the barrel as densely as possible (another reason why a round form is required) and covered with salted water (4–6% of salt). A heavy load (a rock, for example) is placed above, to keep them under the water, in anaerobic conditions. From time to time the water has to be reversed (flushed from the bottom of the barrel and then again sluiced onto the top), adding more (always with salt) if necessary. A higher salinity makes the fermentation slower, while an insufficient salinity makes it unsafe. Higher temperatures require a higher salinity. The fermentation should be done at 16-22 °C. The best temperature is 18-20 °C. A cabbage fermented at a lower temperature has a better fragrance. The best known microorganisms involved in the process include Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus brevis, Enterococcus faecalis, Pediococcus acidilactici and Lactobacillus plantarum.
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Pressing salt into cabbage
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A barrel filled with cabbage heads
Use
Sour cabbage is a popular Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Romanian, and Serbian food, consumed mainly during the winter half of the year, both raw or cooked. Raw, it is a very popular winter salad, usually served dusted with pepper powder (aleva paprika) and/or black pepper, but also as-is. In cooking, it is used for sarma, and in other dishes, such as podvarak.
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Sarma
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Podvarak
See also
- Kraut juice – German drink
- List of cabbage dishes
References
- ^ Šumić, dr Zdravko; Dupalo, Predrag, eds. (10 November 2014). "Tehnologija proizvodnje kiselog kupusa". Tehnologija hrane/Enciklopedija. Tehnologija hrane. Retrieved 1 February 2015. Taxonomy amended.
- Shephard, Sue (2006). Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World. Simon and Schuster. pp. 128. ISBN 978-0-7432-5553-0.
- Mihajlović, Ilija, ed. (7 November 2014). "KISELJENJE KUPUSA". AGRO INFO TEL. Agroinfotel. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
