
Nevertheless, the fermented white cabbage is a staple in the Dutch kitchen. Especially during colder winter days this vegetable can really brighten your day in a zuurkoolschotel with mashed potatoes and a smoked rope sausage, or in an island dish called siepeltjespot, made with potatoes, ground beef, sauerkraut and cranberries. And not just in the winter: sauerkraut lends a crisp, slightly tangy side to summery salads, or a surprising flavor to soups.
Zuurkool is said to have originated with the Tartars, a roaming group of Mongols, who formed part of Genghis Khan's army in the early 13th century. Whole cabbages don't travel well in saddle bags for obvious reasons, so they would cut them up in strips and transport them that way. The salt of the horse's perspiration would soak through the bags and trigger the cabbage to start fermenting and hey presto! zuurkool was invented. These culinary conquistadors are also presumably responsible for the invention of the steak tartare.

The Netherlands produces on average about 45 million pounds of the sour cabbage: it's a very popular item! In the old days, many Dutch households would have a stone crock in the basement and make their own zuurkool, nowadays it's bought fresh from the produce market or in the grocery store. Here is a quick video from 1948 where you can see how it was made in factories back then. But we're spread out all over the world, and sometimes zuurkool is hard to come by, so we're going to make our own!
It is an easy item to make, although it does require patience and some light monitoring. And you'll be pleased to know that no sweaty horses are needed! Some cuisines add juniper berries, herbs or white wine, but the Dutch prefer theirs just made plain, with only salt, but you are welcome to experiment!
Zuurkool
5 lbs (approx. 2.5 kg) white cabbage (about 2 large heads)
10 teaspoons (approx. 100 grams) pickling salt, kosher or sea salt*
Remove a few outer leaves on each head. Cut the cabbages in half, remove the core and slice the cabbage very thin. You can do this on a mandolin (be careful!!) or with a chef's knife.

The salt will start pulling liquid from the bruised cabbage and soon (although this could take up to 24 hours), the cabbage will be sitting in its own, salty, juice. Perfect!

If there is not enough water to cover all the cabbage after 24 hours, carefully salt a cup of water with 2 teaspoons pickling or kosher salt, stir it until it's dissolved and add to the pot.
Let the crock sit on the counter for two days. Then move it out to a cooler part of the house, maybe the basement or the pantry. Make sure no pests, dirt or debris can get into the pot. As you're fermenting cabbage, gases will appear and create a slightly sour smell: that's a good sign!
After about three to four weeks, the zuurkool should be done. We'll make a traditional Terschelling dish, siepeltjespot, with it!
* Do not use iodized or table salt as it is usually laced with other ingredients: use only sea, kosher or pickling salt.
Part of my family's history is the tale of my grandmother wanting to bring a rock to Canada when they emigrated because she was worried she wouldn't be able to find one here, with which to weigh down the cabbage when making zuurkool. Not sure who told them there were no rocks in Canada?!?!
ReplyDeleteIt's because there are no stones in the Netherlands (no joke). It makes it easy to put potatoes in the ground (they use a tool that drills a hole Instead of digging), but you miss out on weighing things down i suppose. She probably considered her stone very precious!
DeleteThe stuff of nightmares! Those early days when I still lived in the NL and my mother would force Zuurkool down my neck :(
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I are still convinced it was her way of punishing us.
I am an American in Spain eating delicious zuurkool now thanks to this recipe. A couple of tablespoons of caraway seeds added to the cabbage made it extra "lekker." :)
ReplyDeleteWhat is the best way to store the finished product?
ReplyDeleteP, the best way would be to refrigerate the whole jar as is, and retrieve as much zuurkool as you need for cooking at a time. You can also transfer the finished zuurkool to sterilized jars and keep those in the fridge. The cool temperature will slow down the fermentation process.
ReplyDelete