Sauerkraut is a type of fermented pickle made from cabbage or cabbage that goes very well with our meals. It is not only rich and long-lasting, but also very healthy as it helps to strengthen the intestinal microbiota. To prepare it, we must use the fermentation technique, that is, favor the development of good bacteria in the cabbage. In this case, fermentation is achieved by placing the cabbage in brine, that is, in a salt water solution; and letting time pass for nature to do its job.
How is it done?
- Dissolve the salt in the water (approximately 4 teaspoons of salt per liter of water).
- Cut the amount of cabbage you want into thin strips and place it in a container, preferably glass.
- Cover the cabbage with water.
- Cover the container with a porous material, such as a cloth. As CO2 gas is going to be produced, you need to make sure that the container in which you are going to put the mixture is not hermetically sealed (so that pressure does not build up inside the container). If you are going to close the container with an airtight lid, you should open it at least once a day, to release the pressure.
- Place the sauerkraut at a cool temperature and protected from light.
- Control the time to determine the degree of acidity of the cabbage you want. The normal thing is to wait at least 7 days and you can try it later until you achieve the degree of acidity that you like best (it can be between one and 4 weeks).
- After the ideal fermentation time for your taste, you can store your sauerkraut in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator, so that the bacteria slow down their metabolism and the sauerkraut does not become even more acidic before you finish consuming it.
Good and bad bacteria
The “good” bacteria are those that are going to produce compounds that generate the pleasant flavors and smells that we look for in a pickle, and the “bad” are those that give off a bad taste or that can even cause us discomfort and illnesses. The brine is a good habitat for the good bacteria and not the bad ones. As the cabbage spends some time submerged in the salt water, the good ones that live naturally in it multiply and begin to break down the carbohydrates in the vegetable to produce the sugars they need to thrive. The good bacteria of the Lactobacillus type will also produce CO2 and lactic acid, which will contribute to making our ferments an even better habitat for good bacteria (a pH of 4.6 is ideal for them) and much worse for the bad ones (which grows best at a pH of 7 or 8). For this reason, sauerkraut is such a healthy preparation, since its correct preparation not only limits the destruction of bad bacteria, but also promotes the multiplication of bacteria that are beneficial to our digestive system.