Sauerkraut: German icon or fading tradition?

DW (English)

Pickled cabbage, or sauerkraut, is a culinary tradition in Germany, especially served with hearty meat dishes. In English-speaking countries, Germans are often referred to as "Krauts."

Transcript

00:01Did you know that this vegetable is why Germans are called krauts in English slang?

00:06But is sauerkraut really Germany's favorite dish?

00:10I really like it, but I only know it from before.

00:13I'm not crazy about sauerkraut. I don't eat it often.

00:16I love it. It's delicious and healthy.

00:19I don't think I've eaten sauerkraut since I was a kid.

00:22Next, we'll show you how sauerkraut is made, what it's eaten with,

00:26and, of course, how Germans came to be called krauts.

00:33But first, let's head to Dittmarschen, near the North Sea coast in northern Germany.

00:38On these 3,000 hectares, 90 million heads of white cabbage are grown a year.

00:43That's more cabbages than there are Germans.

00:46White cabbage is traditionally important because it keeps so well.

00:49Many varieties can be stored until the next crop the following summer.

00:53Farmer Carsten Müller grows organic cabbage.

00:58In the past, there was no need to transport it because everyone grew their own cabbage in their gardens.

01:04Small towns were supplied from the surrounding area.

01:07But these days, cabbage is grown where it thrives best.

01:10Dittmarschen is the largest single-cabbage-growing region in Germany or even Europe.

01:16Nearby, at the Colosseum, you can see how the white cabbage becomes sauerkraut.

01:23First, the stalk is removed and the cabbage is grated.

01:29Sauerkraut is a product of fermentation, and this is how it's done.

01:39Salt plays a key part, around 2 kilograms for every 200 kilos of raw cabbage.

01:51The salt breaks down the cells and releases the cabbage juice.

01:56The lactic acid bacteria feed on this juice, so they can produce more lactic acid really quickly, and the fermentation process starts.

02:06The cabbage looks completely different after just 10 minutes in the mixer.

02:13The cabbage now has a completely different consistency.

02:18It's much softer because the cells have broken down.

02:23But don't think that the sauerkraut is ready yet.

02:27It's still just salted cabbage.

02:30Once it's packed into jars, the healthy lactic acid bacteria ferment the cabbage.

02:36And that takes time.

02:38From here, the jars go into our temperature-controlled fermentation room for about 10 days.

02:48After that, the sauerkraut is basically ready.

02:51But it only tastes really good once all the juice has been absorbed back into the cells.

02:56So we store it in our cold room and then sell it over the next few months.

03:01While the sauerkraut ferments, let's look back.

03:05Sauerkraut played an important role for thousands of years.

03:09That's because it keeps well and is chock full of vitamin C.

03:12It protected sailors from scurvy and nourished soldiers in the First and Second World Wars.

03:18And this is when Germans were first nicknamed Krauts, especially by Americans.

03:23During World War I and II, the military had to be supplied with food.

03:31So they decided not to ship sauerkraut in jars or cans, but to deliver it dried.

03:38Now, time for the taste test.

03:42Good sauerkraut should smell fresh, regardless how old it is.

03:50It should smell fresh as soon as you open the jar, not stale.

03:55Wilken Boye prefers to eat his sauerkraut raw.

04:01If you eat it raw after fermentation, it still contains all its vitamins and live lactic acid bacteria, which our bodies like.

04:11But in restaurants, sauerkraut is normally served cooked.

04:15Come with us to this Berlin restaurant, where the sauerkraut arrives in huge cans.

04:20You could eat it raw, but we spice it up a little.

04:30Every cook seasons their sauerkraut differently.

04:33It usually contains onion, fat, side bacon, allspice, bay leaf, caraway seeds, and a little sugar.

04:42This gives the sauerkraut a hearty flavor.

04:45Without all of this, it would hardly have any calories and would taste pretty sour.

04:52Simmer 20 to 30 minutes and let it sit for a day or two for the flavors to really develop.

04:59The sauerkraut here is served with potatoes and plenty of meat.

05:03So what do Germans think?

05:05Sauerkraut has a traditional feel to it.

05:08I don't think it has made a comeback yet.

05:11I think people are eating far less sauerkraut and cabbage.

05:16It'll come back, but it needs a makeover.

05:21Who knows?

05:22Maybe Germans will rekindle their love story with sauerkraut.

05:26What about you?

05:28Do you like it?

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