Sour cabbage is a favorite dish of many peoples, including the Slavs, but many housewives are wondering whether other varieties of this vegetable, for example, Savoy, are suitable for pickling, in addition to traditional white cabbage. This review will discuss how to implement this idea so that the finished dish turns out to be tasty, as useful as possible and without bitterness. You will also find the best recipes for preparing a workpiece for the winter with a photo and detailed instructions.

Can savoy cabbage be fermented

The question is not as simple as it may seem. The fact is that with all the external similarities with white cabbage, Savoy cabbage has a number of important differences from its “cousin”. The main feature of the "Italian" (so often called Savoy cabbage, because the county of Savoy, where they first cultivated this culture, was part of Italy before the 19th century), is that its leaves have a softer structure and are almost completely devoid of hard veins. In a certain sense, these properties are a great advantage, since Savoy cabbage is better absorbed and has a more delicate taste (therefore, for example, cabbage rolls are simply excellent from it).

Important! The energy value of savoy and white cabbage is seriously different. With approximately the same calorie content and equal content of fats and carbohydrates, Savoy cabbage contains almost two times more protein, one and a half times less sugar and almost one and a half times more fiber.

However, for recipes related to prolonged heat treatment, pickling (pickling) or pickling, such a product is not very suitable, as a result it easily loses its structure and, which is especially offensive, does not give that pleasant crunch that is so appreciated in the corresponding vegetable dishes .Therefore, mistresses traditionally prefer to serve Savoy cabbage fresh, and try to make or use fermented vegetables for home preservation. But nevertheless, what has been said does not mean at all that the pickled version of cooking Savoy cabbage does not have a right to exist. You just need to be prepared for the fact that the dish resulting from the implementation of such a recipe will be slightly different from the usual and beloved snack.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

Any head of cabbage can be used for salting, but it is better to give preference to the largest specimens weighing at least 500 g. The quality of the vegetable can be judged by the state of the stump: it should be white, without damage, spots, blotches and streaks. It is also important to pay attention to the leaves. This type of culture is characterized by a very rapid loss of moisture after harvesting, which is why it is traditionally considered perishable and is almost never used for winter storage.

But on the basis of dried outer leaves, we can confidently judge that the head was not picked yesterday. It is better not to buy such a product. In high-quality Savoy cabbage, the leaves have a dark green color with absolutely uniform staining throughout the plate, as well as pronounced corrugation. Any darkening, condensation, light coating, traces of cobwebs and other flaws are unacceptable. Another good clue is the weight of the vegetable: water, which is the basis of any fruit, gives it a characteristic severity, so if the forks turn out to be suspiciously light, it means it is stale.A head of cabbage should have an absolutely regular and aligned (without tuberosity and seals) shape close to round. Some friability, which is present in the fit of leaves to each other, unlike white cabbage, is the norm for the "Italian". Of fundamental importance when choosing raw materials is also a variety. Since initially "Italian" is not very suitable for pickling, there is no point in using early-ripening varieties for this purpose: they are more expensive, and they do not contain as many nutrients as later ones.

Among the best varieties and hybrids of Savoy cabbage of medium and late ripening, it is worth paying attention to the following:

• Alaska F1;
• Vertu 1340;
• Veros F1;
• Cosima;
• Chrome;
• Melissa F1;
• Morama F1;
• Nadia F1;
• Lacemaker
• Ovas F1;
• Stilon;
• Sphere F1;
• Tasmania;
• Uralochka.

Did you know? The bitter taste of savoy cabbage is given by aminoglycoside sinigrin (which, incidentally, is contained in horseradish and mustard). Scientists have found many useful properties of this organic compound: in particular, it has a powerful antibacterial effect, and also prevents the proliferation of cancer cells.

Forks do not need special preparation before salting - moreover, they need to be processed as quickly as possible after collection or purchase. It is advisable to use the whole head of cabbage as a whole, since after a breach of integrity it will lose freshness in just a few hours.

Step-by-step recipes for harvesting Savoy cabbage for the winter

You can prepare sauerkraut with various methods - with and without pickle, separately or in combination with other vegetables, including representatives of the Cabbage family. Below are three of the most famous and successful salting recipes, but taking any of them as a basis and adding a little creative improvisation, each housewife can create her own culinary masterpiece.

Did you know? In ancient Ukrainian cookbooks there is a recipe for a dish called “kvasha” (with an emphasis on the first syllable). It is interesting that it has nothing to do with the leaven of vegetables and fruits, but rather resembles a kissel made from rye or buckwheat flour, as well as sprouted and ground wheat grains.

Important! This recipe, strictly speaking, is not sourdough, but in the process of grinding with salt, cabbage acquires a characteristic acidity, very reminiscent of the classic pickled version.

Storage rules

Although pickling is a traditional way of harvesting vegetables and fruits for long-term storage, Savoy cabbage prepared in this way is best used in a short time. The lactic acid formed during fermentation will quickly make the product too soft and more like porridge than a crispy snack. Preservation of the finished dish and preventing the development of putrefactive bacteria and pathogenic fungi in it helps a lot in the presence of ingredients such as cranberries or mustard in the recipe.

Important! If the fermentation technology has been sustained, the finished product should not be peroxidized or moldy, just in this case, the feedstock is too tender to be in brine for a long time.

Also, some housewives at the end of fermentation add a few tablespoons of sugar to the snack bowl. In any case, as soon as the main ripening process is completed (4-5 days, depending on the temperature of the air in the room, where the dishes are located - the warmer it is, the faster the fermentation takes place), the prepared snack should be removed in a cool place, for example, in the cellar or a refrigerator. In this case, it is fundamentally important not to drain the brine; without it, the snack will deteriorate very quickly.White sauerkraut is sometimes frozen, but for a Savoy variety of vegetables this storage method is not good: after defrosting, the salad loses its already not too dense structure and becomes unappetizing. If desired, ready-made sauerkraut can be rolled up. To do this, you first need to carefully squeeze the slices from the brine, put the vegetables in sterile jars, and pickle the brine.

For additional sterilization, the contents of the cans are first poured two times in succession with hot water - heated to + 70 ° C and then to + 100 ° C, each time maintaining for 4-5 minutes, and only after that the liquid is changed to boiling brine. The spin allows you to store the product for 12 months, however, it should be borne in mind that additional heating, like freezing, negatively affects the structure of the snack.

Did you know? Residents of the city of Suzdal in the nineteenth century developed an original technology for drying sour cabbage. The idea turned out to be very successful, since it allowed the use of the blank in providing food for soldiers and sailors who were able to cook traditional Russian cabbage soup even in marching conditions.

Savoy cabbage is a product not well known to Russian housewives, but meanwhile, many traditional Slavic dishes, for example, famous cabbage rolls, are even better from this type of vegetable than when using the classic recipe.However, it must be recognized that sauerkraut is not included in the list of such dishes, and for its preparation it is better to use the White-cabbage variety. Nevertheless, recipes for salting Savoy cabbage exist, and this dish has its fans, so you should try a culinary experiment.