a long time cabbage is one of the main food at Slavs, especially during the winter and spring period when the deficiency of vitamins is felt very sharply. And in spite of the fact that the recipe of fermented vegetable is quite simple, not all ordinary people were able to afford a dish. Today fermented or sourcrout can be served on a table as independent snack or be added to soups, salads and other dishes. If you are not an admirer of this product, it will be useful for you to know what vitamins are in sauerkraut, than it is useful in the dietary menu and as to train her. We do not doubt that you will like taste of useful vegetable in a fermented look!
What sauerkraut is rich with
The vitamin structure of sauerkraut is very different — at fermentation all useful substances remain, so the vegetable made in such a way does not concede in advantage to fresh vegetable. So, are a part of a product:
- micro macrocells: zinc, iron, potassium, calcium;
- vitamins P, PP, A, K;
- group B vitamins: B1 (thiamine), B2 (Riboflavinum), B4 (is well-cared), B6 (pyridoxine); B8 (inositol), B9 (folic acid);
- cellulose;
- pectins;
- apple acid;
- vitaminopodobny substance methionine (sometimes is called as vitamin U);
Separately It should be noted how many vitamin C — in 100 g contains in sauerkraut 60 mg, for comparison in a fresh lemon — 40 mg, in fresh strawberry — 56 mg. Vitamin C is present at vegetable as a free, and connected look. A ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates on 100 g approximately it: 2%, 0.1%, 7%.
Whether you know? For the first time began to make sour heads of cabbage in China 2000 years ago — the vegetable wetted in wine was intended for slaves who put up the Great Wall. On the territory of Eastern Europe the recipe of fermented vegetable was brought by Mongol Tatars — since then the popularity of a dish grew and remained invariable up to now.
At so impressive vitamin structure the caloric content of sauerkraut is only 20-25 kcal on 100 grams.
Than it is useful to an organism
At conservation of vegetable in the way of fermentation, vitamins and useful substances do not collapse. Besides the product is enriched with useful enzymes which positively influence our digestion. Additional plus of sauerkraut is rather small amount preservative: salt and vinegar that cannot be told about usual vegetable preparations.
For men
Regularly eating sauerkraut, men will be able to keep potency for a long time. Other positive impacts of cabbage on a male body consist in the following:
Learn also recipes with a sea cabbage and broccoli.
- normalization of cholesterol in blood;
- strengthening of a cardiovascular system;
- strengthening of nervous system and immunity;
- prevention of diabetes and normalization of sugar in blood.
Certainly, the listed effects favorably will affect also the woman's organism, however because of a modern way of life, working conditions of the man are more subject to these diseases.
It is important! If there are problems with kidneys and pressure, cabbage before the use needs to be washed out (if in a brine there is a salt) or to prepare initially without salt addition.
To avoid excessive intoxication at feasts, once couple eats spoons of this product instead of other snack. Also cabbage brine will effectively remove symptoms of a morning hangover if it was not succeeded to avoid intoxication nevertheless.
For women
It is also difficult to overestimate advantage of sauerkraut for women, especially for future mummies. So, having added this product to a diet, it is possible to gain the mass of useful effects:
- to facilitate inflammatory processes;
- to lower a pain syndrome;
- to facilitate symptoms of skin diseases;
- to improve a condition of skin and hair;
- to strengthen bones;
- to lower heavy asthmatic attacks.
At pregnant women sauerkraut helps at locks which often arise on late terms, at toxicosis in the first trimester. Thanks to high content of iron, the product will help to cope with iron deficiency anemia. High content of vitamin C in vegetable will protect the woman in situation from undesirable colds and infections.
On it the advantage of a product does not come to an end — vegetable in a fermented look is also capable to facilitate a current of a menopause. For maintenance of beauty of skin it is possible to use a brine as tonic — it interferes with formation of wrinkles, rejuvenates and improves skin color. Juice of a fermented head of cabbage will help at an acne.
For weight loss
Because of low caloric content, this vegetable is considered one of the best dietary products. Besides sauerkraut is useful to normal work of intestines that is extremely important if you are going to throw off extra kilos and to clean an organism: vegetable also promotes removal of toxic substances and slags.
The product can be added to a diet in unlimited number. For digestion of vegetable the organism spends more calories, than receives from this product, so, the product has minus caloric content.
Important! It is not recommended to sit on strict monodiets with the use of one cabbage more than 4 days — at such way of weight loss the organism will get a big stress and deficiency of many necessary substances. It is better to add vegetable in any quantity to porridges and salads.
Contraindications and harm
There is not a lot of contraindications to the use, but nevertheless they are:
- endocrine diseases, the broken function of a thyroid gland;
- renal failure;
- urolithic disease;
- problems with a pancreas;
- inflammatory processes in a stomach (gastritises, ulcers) and the increased acidity level;
- the increased arterial blood pressure.
If you have a tendency to gas generation and swelling, it is important to know how many sauerkraut — is digested a little more than 4 hours therefore it should not be combined with products which are digested much quicker or more slowly. For the same reason the product cannot be given to children and people of advanced age.
Anyway, if you have certain diseases, and you doubt whether it is possible to regale on fermented vegetable, consult the doctor and do not allow undesirable consequences.
Learn also how to make marrow caviar and cold appetizer from eggplants.
How independently to ferment
Now it is possible to buy ready sauerkraut practically in any supermarket. But in that case it is impossible to be fully confident in its natural structure. The product prepared at home will be much more useful, besides it is very simple to make this preparation.
It is important! If you buy a ready-made product, it is important to be convinced that sauerkraut does not contain some vinegar — as a result of its application all valuable vitamins and advantage of a product strongly collapse decreases.
Stock and kitchen equipment
Extremely simple stock which for certain is in kitchen of any hostess is necessary for preparation of fermented vegetable:
- sharp wide knife for a convenient shinkovaniye of vegetable;
- average or large grater;
- the food processor (instead of a grater and a knife);
- wooden rolling pin for ramming;
- the glass, enameled or wooden capacity.
Metal and corrosion-proof pans do not suit for storage of preparation!
Ingredients
Of course, the main ingredient is a head of cabbage of white cabbage of late grades. Young cabbage as because of the low content of sugar the processes of fermentation will worse take place is not suitable for fermentation. Choosing vegetable, attentively examine, feel and even smell it — the head of cabbage has to be dense, crispy, without yellow spots and decay, not peremerzshy. Also the top sheets should not be removed from a head of cabbage — it can mean that the seller tried "to reanimate" the spoiled vegetable.
Further we will consider amount of ingredients on 10 kg of the main vegetable. So, it is possible to add:
- salt. Usual or sea, but not iodated — about 200 g (2% of the mass of cabbage);
- sugar — to the 1st glass (at will);
- vegetable oil — to the 1st glass (at will);
- carrot — 300 g (3% of the mass of cabbage);
- garlic — 1 head;
- spices and herbs to taste: caraway seeds, bay leaf, carnation, coriander, black/fragrant pepper;
- berries and fruit for juicy taste — apples, a cranberry, cowberry, grapes, plums;
- it is possible to add salty mushrooms or cucumbers.
It is desirable not to add all additives to one capacity — experiment to find that option which to you will be most of all to taste.
Whether you know? In Ancient Greek culture the head of cabbage symbolized sobriety. in China — wealth, in Russia, vegetable was presented to the girl in case of her treason, and according to the Hair dryer Shuya, the head of cabbage can bring hundred types of good luck.
Step-by-step recipe
It is possible to ferment vegetable in the "wet" way in several steps:
- To make a dish the most useful, it is better to cut cabbage on several massive pieces, than to chop small — so vegetable will keep more vitamins. But at small cutting the dish will turn out softer and gentle.
- Carrot can be grated or crushed in the food processor. At small cutting it will paint cabbage in a gentle salmoncolored shade, and at large cutting the head of cabbage will keep snow-white color.
- The cut vegetables need to be mixed and to stamp densely by means of a rolling pin in capacity.
- Further we prepare a brine: we part the necessary amount of salt in warm water.
- We fill in mix to top and it is densely covered with a press.
- Under capacity with cabbage it is necessary to substitute a wide plate or other vessel that in it the brine gathered.
- Capacity needs to be put for 2-7 days at a temperature of 19-22 °C. Approximately on second day on a brine there will be a foam which needs to be removed constantly.
- To avoid a characteristic unpleasant smell at fermentation, it is regularly necessary to pierce capacity with cabbage by means of a wooden stick — it will allow to remove excess gases, and the dish will not gain bitterness.
It is also possible to make sour vegetable in the "dry" way — fraying the chopped vegetable with salt and other additives before emergence of juice. After ramming the brine itself will appear in capacity later couple of days. Duration of fermentation depends on temperature and amount of preservative (salt and sugar). If you make sour vegetable in big wooden barrels or pans, can ferment couple of heads of cabbage entirely, without cutting — from them it is possible to cook stuffed cabbage or to regale on the whole fermented sheets.
How to store preparations
The cellar, balcony or the fridge with temperature condition of 1-5 °C best of all is suitable for storage of sauerkraut. It can be stored a product from several months to several years. It is impossible to allow storages of a product at subzero temperature (if you use a balcony). Usually sauerkraut is served filled with oil, onions, greens, with mushrooms or cucumbers. The product is also added to soups and borsches, vegetable stews and salads, used as a stuffing for pies, vareniki and pies.
What eat sauerkraut with:
- with pork and beef;
- chicken;
- porridges and potatoes;
- fresh, tinned and boiled salads.
Sauerkraut is one of favourites of national cuisines of countries of Eastern Europe. Inexpensive, such habitual and useful vegetable has use many options, is capable to decorate both a holiday table, and daily lunches.