Did you know that the origins of the humble cabbage have been traced back to before 1000 BC, at which time this vegetable had already been domesticated in Europe? Cabbage is a really versatile and healthy vegetable. It has been used for medicinal purposes and as a food source.
There are conflicting reports regarding its medicinal
properties. Wikipedia states that as of 2019 there is no clinical evidence that
cabbage has any medicinal properties. Whereas other sources indicate that it “may help reduce the risk of health conditions such as
cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease.”
In ancient times, however, European folk medicine used cabbage to
treat a hoarse and sore throat, colic, ulcers, rheumatism, even as a remedy for
warts. In ancient Greece, cabbage juice was used as a laxative and as an
antidote for mushroom poisoning.
Whereas, in ancient Egypt, it was consumed at the beginning of a meal to
reduce the intoxicating effects of wine.
Northern European sailors used sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) to prevent
scurvy during their long voyages.
Red cabbage is a healthy food, which is full of nutrients and antioxidants. A one-cup serving (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) has 25 calories, is high in water and dietary fiber. It provides over 10% of your daily allowance in Vitamin K (72% of daily value), Vitamin C (44% of the daily value, Vitamin B6 (10%of daily value), and B9 (Folate, at 11% of daily value). It is a source of the following minerals Calcium (4%), Iron (4%), Magnesium (3%), Manganese (8%), and Potassium (4%) among others.
In cuisine, cabbage can be prepared in a wide variety of ways from steaming, sautéing, stewing, braising, pickling, fermenting it, or to simply eating it raw.
In my previous post (No Christmas Goose This Year. Even Better, We’re Having Roladen) I shared with you that in Northern Germany our Christmas feast consisted of Christmas goose filled with apples or pears and side dishes of parsley potatoes or potato dumplings and sweet and sour red cabbage. In fact, red cabbage is also the vegetable that accompanied our Roladen (rolled beef) Christmas dinner. In German cuisine, red cabbage is the traditional side dish paired with many meat dishes. Quite a number of my readers were not familiar with this kind of food pairing, so I'm sharing my red cabbage recipe with you below.
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage Recipe
German Style
Ingredients
- 1 head - Red cabbage, cut in thin strips
- 2/3 c (150 g) lard (bacon grease), butter, or goose fat
- 1 medium onion, peeled & diced
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored & diced
- 2 c (500 ml) red wine or water
- 2 T (30ml) apple cider vinegar
- 10 juniper berries (optional)
- 5 cloves
- 6 allspice grains or 1/4 t (2g) ground allspice
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 T (30 g) sugar, honey or maple syrup
- ½ c (120 ml) applesauce
- 1 pinch salt
- Pepper to taste
Preparation
- Remove the dry outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the red cabbage into quarters. Remove and grate the stalk with a fine grater. Cut the quarters into fine strips, or slice the quarters finely.
- Peel and dice the onions, and fry them in the melted lard or butter until translucent.
- Peel, core, and dice the apple, and add to the onions.
- Add the red cabbage, 1 c wine, and the other ingredients except for the apple sauce, stir to mix everything well.
- Simmer gently in a closed pot for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, if necessary, top up with the remaining wine or water
- Add the apple sauce, stir well and simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Allow the red cabbage to cool down.
- Refrigerate to let it marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Note: you could eat the Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage the same day you prepared it, BUT it will taste much better 1 or 2 days later. Therefore, I always make the red cabbage one or two days before
serving it. Also, it freezes really well for future use. Either way, when the prepared cabbage is aged it tastes much better.
Bon Appetit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please note, that comments with embedded links will not be approved for posting.