Sauerkraut stuffed banana peppers

On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For uncut fermented cabbage, see whole sour cabbage. Fermented foods have sauerkraut stuffed banana peppers long history in many cultures, with sauerkraut being one of the most well-known instances of traditional fermented moist cabbage side dishes. Some claim fermenting cabbage suan cai was already practised in the days of the building of the Great Wall of China and that the practice was likely transmitted from China to Europe by the Tartars.

The word “Kraut”, derived from this food, is a derogatory term for the German people. During World War I, due to concerns the American public would reject a product with a German name, American sauerkraut makers relabeled their product as “liberty cabbage” for the duration of the war. The cabbage is finely shredded, layered with salt, and left to ferment. Fermentation by lactobacilli is introduced naturally, as these air-borne bacteria culture on raw cabbage leaves where they grow.

Yeasts also are present, and may yield soft sauerkraut of poor flavor when the fermentation temperature is too high. The fermentation process has three phases, collectively sometimes referred to as population dynamics. A 2004 genomic study found an unexpectedly large diversity of lactic acid bacteria in sauerkraut, and that previous studies had oversimplified this diversity. Weissella was found to be a major organism in the initial, heterofermentative stage, up to day 7.

The Dutch sauerkraut industry found that inoculating a new batch of sauerkraut with an old batch resulted in an excessively sour product. This is due primarily to the greater initial activity of species L. Sauerkraut may be used as a filling for Polish pierogi, Ukrainian varenyky, Russian pirogi and pirozhki. In Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, North Macedonia and Slovenia, usually the whole cabbage heads are pickled. Such produce is used for many dishes, from a simple salad made of chopped cabbage and sprinkled with paprika, to cabbage rolls. In northern parts of Serbia and Croatia, it is often added to the bean soup.

In Chile it is called chucrut and is a common topping for sandwiches and hotdogs, especially for completos. Sauerkraut, along with pork, is eaten traditionally in Pennsylvania on New Year’s Day. The tradition, started by the Pennsylvania Dutch, is thought to bring good luck for the upcoming year. Central European-style sauerkraut and sausages is a popular snack dish in pubs. As Europeans, especially Germans, emigrated to other countries, many of them continued making and eating sauerkraut around the world.