Best German Braised Cabbage Recipe – Oma’s Bavarian Weisskraut * (2024)

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Best German Braised Cabbage Recipe – Oma’s Bavarian Weisskraut *? ›

Red cabbage with apples is a traditional German side dish for pork roast and other roasts, Christmas goose, turkey, and game. It tastes even better when reheated so I usually make it the day before. It is a staple on most people's home for Christmas dinner.

Red cabbage with apples is a traditional German side dish for pork roast and other roasts, Christmas goose, turkey, and game. It tastes even better when reheated so I usually make it the day before. It is a staple on most people's home for Christmas dinner.

Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called lactic acid fermentation that is analogous to how traditional (not heat-treated) pickled cucumbers and kimchi are made. The cabbage is finely shredded, layered with salt, and left to ferment.

Whatever cabbage you are using, cut off the dry end of the stalk. If using Hispi, quarter the cabbage lengthways through its core. If using a regular white cabbage, cut it into manageable wedges, again through the core. Steam for about 10 minutes until it looks rather relaxed and easy to cut through.

In Northern Germany, where I'm from, red cabbage is called Rotkohl. In Central and Western Germany it is called Rotkraut. And in Southern Germany it is called Blaukohl or Blaukraut, which translate to blue cabbage.

Because it takes a product which can grow quickly and plentifully in a climate which has a short growing season in Cabbage, and turns in into a nutritional food that can be stored through the long hard winter.

Cabbages of all types and colors feature in so many traditional German dishes! Everything from a northern German dish of dark green cabbage and sausage to a hearty Bavarian kohlrabi and white cabbage soup, from blaukraut (a braised red cabbage side dish) to pork chops with sauerkraut, a complete meal in a pan.

China produces nearly half of the world's cabbage while Russia consumes the most per person. The average Russian eats about 44 pounds of cabbage a year. That compares to the 8.6 pounds eaten by Americans. Raw cabbage is rich in vitamin C.

What does sauerkraut mean? Sauerkraut is the German language equivalent of “sour cabbage.” In reality though, it can mean different things to different people. To busy home chefs, sauerkraut, or fermented cabbage, is a fast, easy way to liven up their families' favorite meals.

Why do you put vinegar in cabbage when boiling it? ›

Then, there is the red cabbage which tends to turn blue when cooked and so, most commonly just eaten raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect.

Baking soda does help green vegetables retain color, but it causes undesirable color changes in red cabbage—it turned blue. The science can be distilled to this: Adding baking soda to cooking water makes it slightly alkaline, which stabilizes the green color of chlorophyll.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water.

Of all these regional and national dishes, Germany is most famous for Currywurst, sausages, pretzels and Black Forest Gateau, but as you can see, there is plenty more to German cuisine than just these.

Sauerkraut is fermented shredded cabbage with a tangy, salty flavor. Despite the German name, it actually originated in China over 2,000 years ago.

And, of course, like almost every European country, you'll also often find your meal accompanied by chicken, meatballs and regular sausages. As far as vegetables go, green beans, broccoli, peas and cabbage are staples at the German dinner table.

One the most widely eaten cabbage dishes, blaukraut is nearly ubiquitous in restaurants and homes across Germany. Also known as Rotkraut or Rotkohl, depending on the region of Germany, this dish goes back generations with each family having their own family recipe.

In all truth though, sauerkraut is fermented cabbage and during the fermentation process, beneficial probiotics are produced. These give sauerkraut most of its health benefits. On top of that, it's a good form of dietary fibre, with vitamins C and K, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

Red cabbage contains a chemical called anthocyanin. This pigment is a natural acid-base indicator. It is blue in neutral substances, like plain water.