Pickles by Jan Davison

Author:Jan Davison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Sauerkraut, or pickled cabbage, is a European invention.

At some point the sour liquids were dropped and in their place brine was added to the pickling barrel. This development reduced the sourness of the pickle liquor and facilitated lacto-fermentation, which much improved the cabbage’s flavour. One of the earliest accounts of preserving cabbage in brine is provided in Le Thresor de Santi, published in 1607, which describes how Germans prepared cabbage for winter use. The cabbages were shredded and placed in layers with salt, juniper berries, spices, barberries and pepper. Each layer was pressed down firmly and brine added. By the time Hannah Glasse came to include a recipe for ‘Sour Crout’ in her 1758 edition of The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the method of dry salting was well established. She notes: ‘It is a dish much made use of amongst the Germans and in the North Countries, where the Frost kills all the cabbages.’ The hard, white cabbages were pickled whole, with a large handful of salt to every four or five heads and pounded caraway seeds to give a ‘fine flavour’. Once salted, the cabbages were weighted down, covered closely and left to stand for a month before using.

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