According to Volker Bach, who is the translator of this recipe, Johann Coler’s Oeconomia ruralis et domestica was a popular book on the topic of managing a wealthy household. It is based largely on previous writings by Coler and first appeared between 1596 and 1601. Repeatedly reprinted for decades, it became one of the most influential early works of Hausväterliteratur. Volker was working from a 1645 edition for this translation, and he notes it is the earliest recipe for sauerkraut that he has found.
To lay in (einzumachen) a sour cabbage
Strew a small handful of salt on the bottom (of the cask), then form a layer of shaggy (zoettichten) cabbage over it, cut on a zoetteleisen (cabbage slicer) or a cutting board. Caraway and salt is strewn on the cabbage and then, if you wish, you lay halved or quartered heads of cabbage on top, but it must be laid down forcefully and close together. You can do this and then strew salt and caraway on it again. Then lay down another small layer of shaggy cabbage and stamp it with clean feet until the juice runs up though the toes as is the custom in some places. But if you think that it would disgust you that it is stamped with feet, you may take a wooden masher and mash it with that until it releases its juice. Continue thus, lay down another layer of cabbage with salt and caraway strewn on, and sometimes also a handful of juniper berries strewn into it, until your tun or barrel is full. But you must always mash or stamp it when a layer has been laid down so that it gives off its juice. When it is full, lay down boards on the cabbage and put stones on the boards that are as heavy as you can lift so the cabbage is weighed down and ever more juice pressed out. When you have later cooked it and want to serve it, arrange a couple of bratwurst sausages or fried herring around it on the bowl or on top of the cabbage and then eat of it and see how you like it.
For this recipe I bought a very large cabbage and sliced it thinly with a knife (I don’t trust myself with a mechanical cabbage slicer). I then layered kosher salt with sliced cabbage, caraway and juniper berries in my pickle pot. At the end, I mashed it with a potato masher, but didn’t get much juice, so I added brine to cover the cabbage. Finally, I weighed it down with my earthenware weights and let it ferment. I checked every couple of days for mould, and scooped out anything that didn’t look appetizing.
After ten days, I scooped the cabbage into jars and processed them in boiling water for about 20 minutes. This is obviously not part of the original recipe, but I don’t have a storage area cold enough to keep sauerkraut in a crock for extended periods, or enough people in my household to eat it quickly.
This is not my favourite sauerkraut, but it was quite acceptable once it had been rinsed and heated, then served with homemade bratwurst and mustard from Dutch Eenen Nyeuwen Coock Boeck (1560), which can be found here. I used white wine vinegar instead of white vinegar for this batch of mustard.
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