Sauerkraut. Properties and secrets of cooking. Why sauerkraut is bitter?

Cabbage is a traditional product on the beds of domestic agronomists. The plant has a huge amount of vitamins and microelements that contribute to the normal functioning of all organs. Cabbage is also irreplaceable in winter, when colds are a common phenomenon.

There is a huge number of dishes, the main ingredient of which is cabbage. This borscht, rassolnik, a variety of salads and zrazy. But the first place by right can be given to sauerkraut. The dish has an excellent taste and is perfectly combined with a variety of side dishes. However, many people ask why sauerkraut is bitter. This article will help you find the answer to this question and teach you how to properly prepare this delicious and healthy product.

Great benefit

Cabbage is one of the few products that retain useful properties after processing. The main secrets of sauerkraut are the increase in the amount of vitamin C in the cooking process. This is why the product is considered indispensable in winter cold. Milk and acetic acids, which are contained in the leaven in huge quantities, perfectly protect against many pathogenic bacteria.

Sour cabbage is an excellent prevention of constipation. Daily use of the product contributes to the improvement of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, cabbage helps to strengthen the heart muscle, so it should be an obligatory component of the daily diet of the elderly.

If you had to wonder why sauerkraut is bitter, it does not mean that the product is not cooked properly. Bitterness in this vegetable can be present for several reasons. For example, colored and Brussels sprouts with improper cultivation, namely, with a lack of moisture, may have a bitter taste. In addition, the quality of cabbage can deteriorate with an excessive amount of nitrates in it.

Essential food for losing weight

Diet, based on the use of sauerkraut, is considered simple and quite effective. The product in any form has a lower calorie content.

In 100 grams of cabbage contains only 19 calories. Even if you additionally fill the salad with vegetable oil, the energy value will not exceed 50 kcal.

In the process of losing weight, there is no need to limit yourself to eating a delicious product. Sour cabbage can be enjoyed in any quantity. And if you had to ask yourself why sauerkraut is bitter, then either all the technologies were not observed in the process of its preparation, or the vegetable itself is not suitable for consumption. A quality product should have a pleasant taste and aroma.

Contraindications

Despite a huge number of useful properties, it also has sauerkraut contraindications.

To them, first of all, the increased acidity and peptic ulcer. People with ulcers generally should refrain from dieting for weight loss. The food should be full, but gentle.

Unpleasant consequences of consumption of sauerkraut can appear also in healthy people. To unkind signs include pain in the stomach, flatulence, swelling. If the kidneys do not cope with the withdrawal of liquid from the body due to the use of sauerkraut, the product will have to be abandoned.

How to sour cabbage

There are several options for making excellent sauerkraut. But before you prepare a dish, you should learn how to select the original ingredients. For sauerkraut only mature cabbage. A young vegetable will not give a rich flavor and taste. Perezreli product also does not fit.

Each housewife should know how to make excellent sauerkraut. The most popular recipe is quite simple. In addition to the main ingredient, such ingredients as carrots, currant and horseradish leaves, dill, salt and pepper will be needed. For 10 kg of fresh cabbage it is necessary to take 200 g of salt.

Preparation of the dish begins with cleaning and shredding cabbage in small strips. The width of the finished pieces should not exceed 5 mm. In order not to wonder how to remove bitterness from cabbage, you need to completely follow the recipe.

The vegetable must necessarily start the juice. To speed up this process allows large coarse salt. The liquid begins to stand out thanks to mechanical influences, so cabbage should be well crushed by hands.

It should be noted that this vegetable can be sour in several ways:

1. pouring salt;

2. pouring hot or cold brine.

The most common additives in sauerkraut are:

- berries (cranberries, cranberries);

- fruits (plums, apples);

- marinated or salted mushrooms;

- celery, bell pepper;

- cloves, cumin, hot pepper, bay leaf, horseradish.

As a rule, additional products must be taken as much as salt.

Kvassim cabbage in a jar

If you have a small family, this recipe will come in handy, because the cooking process does not take long. As a container for the sour milk, a three-liter glass jar is suitable for us, in which we will lay out the following ingredients in layers:

- white cabbage (5 kg);

- Large beet (1 pc.);

- garlic (2 heads);

- Bitter pepper (3 pcs.).

We prepare the brine:

- water (1L);

- salt (2 tbsp.);

- sugar (0,5 items);

- Vinegar 9% (1/3 of the item);

- sweet pepper (8 peas);

- a bay leaf (3-5 pieces).

It should be noted that for a three-liter can of cabbage it is necessary to take up to three liters of brine. In order for the product to ferment, it should be kept at room temperature for 5 to 7 days. Attention! It is not necessary to cover the jar with a lid, since during the fermentation gases are formed, which must go out without hindrance. To accelerate their release, it is recommended to puncture the cabbage with a wooden stick periodically to the very bottom and remove the excess foam that appears on the surface. By following these simple rules, you will never wonder why sauerkraut is bitter.

Why sauerkraut is bitter?

Not only non-observance of technology can cause bad taste of sauerkraut. Incorrect harvesting is also important.

Quite often the sauerkraut cooked from cabbages, which were cut off before the onset of frost, becomes bitter. Therefore, for a sauerkraut it is necessary to choose only well-ripened vegetables.

Many people are wondering why sauerkraut is bitter, if all the ingredients were selected correctly. In this case, the dish may remain bitter only temporarily. If cooking was right, the unnatural taste may indicate that the cabbage has not yet penetrated thoroughly.

The bitterness of cabbage can be removed. Before packaging the product on the banks should be given to it is insisted in an open form. In addition, well absorbs the bitterness of the tree. It is no accident that many people prepare cabbage in special wooden barrels.

With what to combine sauerkraut?

Sour cabbage is considered a universal product, which is perfect for absolutely any garnish. This can be potatoes, buckwheat porridge, pasta, rice, etc. With the help of ready-made sauerkraut, you can create many delicious dishes.

Soups and borscht are popular, based on this common vegetable. A pickled version of it gives any dish an unusual flavor and taste.