Sauerkraut: Ideal Winter Vegetable

In the past, white cabbage and the sauerkraut made from it in the traditional way provided people with the necessary vitamins and minerals, especially in the winter months. Sauerkraut was not only an excellent source of vitamins B, C and K, but was also popular for its high content of potassium, calcium, iron and fiber. What else is in the cabbage and how best to prepare sauerkraut, we tell you here.

Is sauerkraut healthy?

Sauerkraut rightly has the reputation of being a healthy ingredient in many dishes, especially in winter. The following ingredients make sauerkraut so healthy:

  • Lactic acid bacteria not only prevent rotting processes in sauerkraut, but are good for human health in many ways. Like bread drink or yogurt, they have a probiotic effect by stabilizing the intestinal flora, protecting the beneficial intestinal bacteria and fighting the harmful ones. Recent studies also found that lactic acid bacteria have a supportive effect on the immune system.
  • The dietary fiber contained unfold no less important effect in the intestine. They saturate on the one hand and are for a regulated peristalsis and thus for a good digestion not to do without. 200 g of sauerkraut contain 5 g of saturating dietary fiber and already cover 40 percent of the daily recommended vitamin C requirement.
  • Sauerkraut with its high content of vitamin C was not for nothing in earlier seafaring times as a scurvy-preventing vegetable. Vitamin C strengthens the defenses and acts as an important antioxidant cancer-causing nitrosamines against.
  • Especially among vegans, sauerkraut is popular as a source of vitamin B6. This is formed during storage and fermentation and is otherwise contained mainly in animal foods. Vitamin B6 strengthens the immune system and plays an important role in the production of messenger substances in the nerves and fat metabolism. However, vitamin B6 contained in plant foods can be absorbed by the body worse than vitamin B6 from animal foods.
  • In addition, lactic acid fermentation and high vitamin C content improve the absorption of iron. The availability is usually better from animal foods than from plant foods – but the iron absorption from sauerkraut is similar to that of meat.
  • Although the secondary plant compounds from cabbage vegetables do not promise direct nutritional value, they are still beneficial to health. On the one hand, the glucosinolates and mustard oils have an antibacterial effect and inactivate unwanted enzymes in the intestine, on the other hand, they show an anticancerogenic effect in animal studies.

Sauerkraut: ingredients

The following table shows the amounts of various nutrients contained in sauerkraut:

Ingredients 1 serving (200 g) sauerkraut, fresh Percent of daily requirement
Vitamin C 40 mg 40 %
Folic acid 60 µg 15 %
Potassium 576 mg 29 %
Calcium 100 mg 10 %
Iron 1.2 mg 12 %
Dietary fiber 5,0 g 17 %
Vitamin B6 420 μg 30 %

Hearty side dish with few calories

Not only to hearty meat food fits the low-calorie sauerkraut, which is a true lightweight with 19 kilocalories (kcal) or 80 kilojoules per 100 grams. Today, sauerkraut is known as a side dish for meat and potatoes, as a stew and a component of hearty cakes, soups or raw vegetable salads. For seasoning the vegetable side dish are particularly suitable juniper berries, bayberries or tarragon.

Flatulence caused by sauerkraut

Although the lactic acid bacteria contained in sauerkraut are basically conducive to healthy intestinal flora, in the short term sauerkraut can cause flatulence due to its high content of dietary fiber. A little housewife trick helps against unpleasant flatulence after consumption: simply mix a few caraway seeds in with the vegetables. A fennelanisecaraway tea can also provide relief after consumption. In general, the fattier the food eaten together with the sauerkraut, the higher the probability of subsequent gastrointestinal complaints.Winter vegetables

Make sauerkraut yourself

If you want, you can also make sauerkraut yourself at home. For larger quantities, this requires a fermentation pot, which you can buy, for example, in specialty stores or on the Internet. For smaller quantities, sauerkraut can also be prepared in a canning jar with a screw cap. For 1.5 kilograms of sauerkraut you need:

  • 1.5 kilograms of white or pointed cabbage
  • 20 grams of salt
  • Depending on preference caraway, bay leaves or juniper

To prepare, rinse the clean jars with hot water and dry. Finely grate the cabbage or cut into thin strips. In a large bowl, mix with the spices. Knead the mixture until liquid is formed. Pour the cabbage into the jars and cover with liquid. Cover the opening with plastic wrap and seal airtight with the lid. To start the fermentation process, the jars must be stored at room temperature for three days. After that, they can be stored in a cool and dark place. Since juice may escape during the fermentation process, the jars should be placed on a surface or in a tub.

Recipe with sauerkraut

The shorter sauerkraut is cooked, the more vitamins it retains. So with this version of the classic sauerkraut you are on the safe side. Recipe for sauerkraut salad with goat cheese

Ingredients:

  • 800 grams of sauerkraut
  • 2 peppers
  • 200 grams sugar snap peas
  • 100 grams soft goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower or pumpkin seeds
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Pepper, salt

Clean the peppers and cut them into strips. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and saute the peppers with the sauerkraut for about 5 minutes. Wash the sugar snap peas and cut them into strips or halves. Bake goat cheese in a baking dish at 200 degrees top and bottom heat for five to ten minutes. In a bowl, mix vinegar, two tablespoons of oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sauerkraut to the dressing with the peppers and sugar snap peas and mix. Arrange on plates and serve with the goat cheese and seeds.

History of sauerkraut

The Greeks and Romans already appreciated the beneficial herb with its distinctive aroma. In Germany, monks in the Middle Ages first cultivated white cabbage, which they called crut. Industrial production today is more modern, but the product has remained the same. Thus, sauerkraut continues to be a popular and healthy ingredient in numerous dishes.