Sauerkraut: Pickled Cabbage

I encountered this contraption on my visit to Winedale yesterday. German immigrants used it to shred cabbage for making sauerkraut in nineteenth century Texas. Cabbage was placed in the box at the bottom, then the box was pushed over the blade (the gray part) and the cabbage was shredded.


Sauerkraut is a wonderful way to preserve cabbage for eating later. People make sauerkraut by pickling cabbage through a process called lacto-fermentation. This is the same process that is traditionally used to make kim-chi and pickled cucumbers.




For sauerkraut, fermentation occurs in three parts. During the first part anaerobic bacteria increase the acidity of the cabbage, salt, and water mixture. This makes the environment tolerable for the bacteria in later phases. The second part begins when the acidity becomes so high that different bacteria become dominant. During the third part, Lactobacillus bacteria species ferment the remaining sugars. The lactic acid produced from the fermentation creates the tart taste.

The picture on the right shows a bed of sauerkraut supporting a pickled ham hock.


You can find instructions for making sauerkraut, the science and history of making sauerkraut and additional recipes on the web.