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Fermentation Atlas

Vegetables from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus

Kvashenaya kapusta (Russian sauerkraut)квашеная капуста

Kvashenaya kapusta is shredded white cabbage, salted at about 2.5 % and usually mixed with carrot, and often with apples, cranberries or lingonberries, then packed under a weight in a barrel or crock. It ferments for about a week in the warmth, with the mass pierced daily to let gas out, and is then kept near 0 °C through the winter. Made in 5 steps over 5 days – 20 days. The longest step, ferment warm, piercing to let gas out, takes 5–20 days (Бексеев Ш.Г. (Bekseev Sh.G.)) and runs at 13–20 °C (Бексеев Ш.Г. (Bekseev Sh.G.)). Salt is 2.5 % (Бексеев Ш.Г. (Bekseev Sh.G.)). Rod-shaped lactobacilli, dominant during fermentation and in cold storage does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step5–20 daysReported[bekseev][nagui]Ferment warm, piercing to let gas out
Temperature13–20 °CReported[bekseev]Ferment warm, piercing to let gas out
Salt2.5 %Reported[bekseev]Salt and mix with carrot and fruit
Fully documentedVegetables5 days – 20 daysMore vegetablesMore from RussiaMore from UkraineMore from Belarus

Recipe

Amounts from a sourcePercentages of the cabbage weight, from a Russian gardening encyclopedia's home method. Beet or half-ripe tomatoes may also go in.
10 kgShredded white cabbage · Outer leaves and core removed[bekseev]
2.5 % (250 g per 10 kg)Salt[bekseev]
10 %Carrot, in strips or coarsely grated[bekseev]
4–8 %Apples · Optional[bekseev]
3.5 %Cranberries or lingonberries · Optional[bekseev]
1 g and 2 g per 10 kgBay leaf and caraway · Optional[bekseev]
0.5 g and 0.3 g per 10 kgAllspice and cloves · Optional[bekseev]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 5 days – 20 days

Start
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What changes: Cabbage heads are trimmed, cored and shredded

Step 1 of 5
Trim and shred the cabbage
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacilli
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Kvashenaya kapusta is usually fermented with carrot and often with berries or apples. It is ripened warm for about a week, pierced daily to let gas out, and then held near 0 °C instead of being canned.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Whole heads in the barrelSmall cored heads, slashed and salted at the core, are laid between layers of shredded cabbage, or packed alone under 6 % brine.
  • With beet or half-ripe tomatoesBeet turns the whole mass pink; firm half-ripe tomatoes are laid between the layers.

Safety

USDA guidance for sauerkraut sets fermentation at 70–75 °F (about 21–24 °C), notes that kraut may not ferment below 60 °F (about 16 °C) and turns soft above 75 °F, and keeps fully fermented kraut covered in the refrigerator. Cabbage left above the brine moulds quickly.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [bekseev] Бексеев Ш.Г. (Bekseev Sh.G.), Большая энциклопедия огородничества (Great encyclopedia of vegetable growing), chapter Ways of processing vegetables, online textbook
  2. [nagui] Нагуй Д.А. and Бурдь В.Н. (Nagui and Burd), Dynamics of vitamin C content in sauerkraut during its fermentation and storage, student conference paper, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, in a Polessky State University collectionpaper
  3. [nchfp-kraut] National Center for Home Food Preservation (USDA and University of Georgia), Sauerkrautgov