History
Sauerkraut from Kruszewo was known at markets as early as the 19th century. Barrels of hardwood were scalded, the cabbage was shredded by hand into a tub, and after a week of fermenting by a warm stove it was carried to the cellar or to ponds in the Narew. Between 1950 and 1980 it was sold by a cooperative from Białystok and a local processing plant. The sauerkraut has been on the list since 2007.
Recipe
Sauerkraut in a stoneware crock
Ingredients
- 5 kg white cabbage
- 300 g carrots
- 100 g non-iodised rock salt (2% of the weight of the vegetables)
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- 2–3 small, firm whole heads of cabbage (Kruszewo style)
Method
- Remove the outer leaves and cut out the cores. Shred the cabbage and grate the carrots on the coarse side of the grater.
- In a bowl, toss the cabbage and carrots with the salt and caraway, kneading with your hands until the juice is released.
- Put the whole heads in the bottom of a scalded crock and sprinkle with salt. Add the cabbage in layers, packing it down hard with your fist until the juice covers the vegetables.
- Cover with a plate and weigh down with a jar of water. Keep for 5–7 days at 18–20°C. Every day, pierce the cabbage to the bottom with a wooden stick to let the gases escape.
- When the cabbage is sour, move the crock somewhere cool (up to 10°C) or transfer to jars and keep in the fridge.
Where to taste and buy
In season, sauerkraut from the barrel is sold by farmers around Kruszewo and at the markets in Białystok.
Description based on the entry in the Ministry of Agriculture's List of Traditional Products. The quantities in the recipe are our own suggestion for the home kitchen. Product sheet on gov.pl →
Stay in Klejniki
Most of these flavours are within an hour's drive of our house. A kitchen with a wood-fired range is waiting, in case you feel like baking something.
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