Crunchy, with cumin and cranberries: how to prepare the right sauerkraut in Belarusian

Do you want to experience the real taste of Belarusian cuisine? Crunchy sauerkraut with cumin and cranberries is not just a snack, but a family tradition passed down from generation to generation. In this article we will reveal the secrets of the perfect recipe.

The Belarusian version of sauerkraut differs from the Russian in two details that seem small, but they create a recognizable taste. The first is cumin: it gives a warm “grandfather” aroma and improves digestion. The second is cranberry, a berry that grows everywhere in Belarus and is traditionally added to cabbage not for beauty, but as a natural preservative. Cranberries contain benzoic acid, which suppresses unwanted bacteria and helps the workpiece stand all winter without spoilage.

The ingredients

1. 1.White cabbage (late grade, dense head) - 6 kg (net, without a cap)
2. 2.Carrots – 300 g (about 5% of the weight of cabbage)
3. 3.Stone salt (important: not iodized) - 120 g (exactly 2% of the weight of cabbage)
4. 4.Fresh or frozen cranberries – 3-4 handfuls (about 200 g)
5. 5.Cumin - 4 tsp.
6. 6.Laurel sheet - 6-8 pcs.
7. 7.You can add black pepper peas to taste.

Preparation

How to prepare. Remove the upper green leaves – they are rough and will not give a good crunch. Set aside a couple of whole leaves: they will be useful for shelter. Cut the kochan into quarters, remove the cap, insert a straw 3-5 mm thick. Too thin – it will be soft, too large – rough. Belarusian tradition prefers medium cutting. Rub the carrots on a large grater.

Salting. Fold the cabbage and carrots into a wide pelvis or enameled pan. Fall asleep with salt and start crumbling with your hands, as if washing clothes: it will take 7-10 minutes of active work. Cabbage should give a clear juice - it will trigger fermentation. Now add cumin, bay leaf, pepper and cranberries. Stir gently, without crushing the berries: crushed cranberries will give too much juice and make cabbage too acidic in a couple of days.

Laying. Shift the mass into glass jars or enameled utensils, tamping each layer with a fist or wooden push until the juice rises above the cabbage. This detail is important as the cabbage should be completely covered with brine. Leave 3-5 cm of free space on top - when fermented, the juice will rise. If your own juice was not enough, add brine: 20 g of salt per 1 liter of cooled boiled water.

Oppression and fermentation. Cover the cabbage laid whole leaves, on top - a plate and cargo (a can of water, 3-5 kg). Leave at room temperature (+18...+22°C). The first 3 days are the most active: you will see bubbles and foam. Twice a day, pierce the cabbage with a long wooden spoke or a stick to the bottom in 3-4 places. This releases carbon dioxide - without it, cabbage will become bitter and slippery.

Storage. When the foaming subsides (usually for 3-4 days), try the brine to taste. If the acidity suits you - remove cabbage in the cold: cellar, balcony, refrigerator (+2 ... +6 ° C). Full readiness occurs in 7-10 days in the cold. In glass jars under a dense cover, cabbage is stored until spring.

Practical notes

1. 1.Salt is not a taste, but a technological ingredient. Concentration of 2% is the golden rule: at 1.5%, fermentation is weak and cabbage can deteriorate, at 3% and above - bacteria slow down, and the taste becomes oversalted.
2. 2.For blanks, keep a separate pack of ordinary stone salt. Iodized salt is a common cause of soft, non-crunchy cabbage.
3. 3.Love more acutely - add grated horseradish root (1 tbsp per 3 kg). Shit works as an additional antiseptic and gives spiciness.
4. 4.Frozen cranberries before laying, thaw and dry with a paper towel - excess moisture will dilute the brine.

When it is better to throw away the workpiece

Mold on the surface. If the mold appeared only on top - remove it along with the top layer of leaves and check the cabbage under them. But if the mold penetrated deeper or the brine became cloudy with an unpleasant odor, it is better not to eat the workpiece. The controversy goes further than it seems.

Slimy texture. Cabbage has become viscous, the threads of mucus when pulled are a sign that lactic acid fermentation has lost competition to foreign bacteria. Most often the reason is undersalted or too warm room.

It smells bad. A mild sour smell is the norm. Putrid, musty or ammonia is an unambiguous signal to eject.

With what to serve

Sauerkraut is an ideal companion for potatoes, dranics, grilled sausages. And if you extinguish it with onions and smoked ribs, you will get a classic basis for Belarusian bigos. Sour sow, sodium, garnish to fried fish - sauerkraut is universal.

These recipes are generational. Cabbage, which in the Belarusian villages gathered whole streets, soaked apples in the cellars, which waited until the first frost – all this did not go away irretrievably. Even in the city kitchen, with an ordinary refrigerator and glass jars, you can reproduce the same taste. All you need is the right apple, the right cabbage, and a little patience.

Read also:

1. 1.Apples for the winter: drying properly and use not banal
2. 2.Mushrooms and berries with radiation found in the Gomel region: how to check your

Photo: pixabay, used for illustration