For several centuries, cabbage has been very popular and is a very healthy and nutritious vegetable. It has been cultivated since the Stone Age. It is assumed that the spread began with ancient rome. Already then there were several species and varieties. Cabbage appeared on the territory of Russia in the eleventh century. The very word "cabbage" originates from the Latin word "kaput", which means "head". In this article, we will look at why cabbage is bitter and the causes of cabbage bitterness.
Today it is simply impossible to imagine your life without this popular vegetable. Hundreds of famous dishes are prepared on its basis. Cabbage can be an independent dish, or maybe just a side dish.
But it happens that such a tasty and healthy vegetable crop brings grief. Sometimes cabbage leaves have a very unpleasant and alarming bitterness. Can this cabbage be eaten? How to cook it? All these questions are asked by hostesses when faced with such a problem. There are better ones that do not give bitterness
Causes of bitterness
The presence of bitterness is the prerogative of almost all cruciferous plants. Bitterness can appear in almost all varieties. So, for example, the well-known "amager" almost always has a bitter taste. And it's useless to fight it. But sometimes the following reasons can be the cause of spoiled taste:
- Immaturity. If the vegetable is not ripe in the garden, it may differ in taste and often not for the better.
- Insufficient amount of moisture. In a dry summer, due to insufficient watering, any variety will be bitter.
- Soil composition. A vegetable takes all the nutrients from the soil, but if the soil has an excess of minerals and nitrogenous compounds, cabbage will not get a very pleasant taste.
- Excess nitrates. Unscrupulous producers often violate the technology of growing vegetables. And use too much nitrate for rapid growth and beautiful presentation. If the first three reasons are easily eliminated and it is quite possible to get rid of bitterness, then in the latter case, it will not work to improve the taste of the product. Nitrates are not removed during heat treatment, and even soaking, in this case, will not correct the situation at all. It is better not to use a vegetable poisoned with nitrates for food.
Ways to get rid of bitterness
- Heat treatment. Clean the forks and wash well. Cut and boil for 10 minutes, drain the water. After this procedure, the taste will improve significantly, the bitterness will disappear.
- Salt. Finely chop the head of cabbage, sprinkle with salt and mix thoroughly. Give time to stand so that the juice stands out. When it stands out, drain well. The salt will help bring back the good taste. It's also possible.
- Lemon juice. Another effective and simple way to combat bitterness is soaking in a solution with lemon juice.
All these options are suitable both for salads and for frying and cooking stewed cabbage. That is, use for different options dishes without any restrictions. You can watch videos with recipes on various sites on the Internet. The most popular cabbage dishes today are bigus, sauerkraut, vitamin salad, stuffed cabbage cutlets, etc.
The wording "eat raw" is truly surprising. Can cauliflower be eaten without prior heat treatment? Yes, you can, but the taste is unlikely to please.
Fresh cabbage juice is used for stomach diseases. Also, this remedy is used to treat constipation, gas formation in the intestines.
In cauliflower juice, even when cooked, it retains maximum amount beneficial trace elements and vitamins.
boiled
Boiled cabbage is no less useful, it is well digested. But it doesn't cook for long. It is in this way that it is recommended to cook a vegetable in order to preserve valuable substances in the composition. Cauliflower - base diet food.
Dishes from a boiled product will help recover after surgery. They will satisfy hunger and at the same time will not overload the stomach. boiled cauliflower useful for people who have problems with the liver, gastrointestinal tract, because cabbage will provide the necessary density of the food bolus for optimal digestion.
They say that boiled cauliflower is one of the most dietary and healthy meals for human body. Cabbage is very easy to cook, it has a pleasant taste and is very easy to digest.
Features of cooking
It is easy to find cauliflower on sale, both fresh and frozen. When buying cabbage, you should pay attention to its expiration date.. You can store no more than 12 months. In a frozen vegetable, the inflorescences should not be small, without visible damage.
Fresh or frozen food
The process of preparing fresh and frozen cabbage is not fundamentally different from each other. The difference is only in the duration of cooking, and is about two minutes. Vegetables should not be defrosted first. You can only hold a few minutes in a saline solution. Although many housewives prefer to cook cauliflower without salt.
Cooking time for fresh cabbage takes 10-15 minutes, and frozen 15-17 minutes.
How to cook fresh cauliflower is described, and how to cook frozen is written.
For children and adults
The cooking process itself is the same. The only thing is that for children it is not worth salting the water. After cooking, the cabbage needs to be converted into a puree.. To do this, you can use a sieve or a blender. In this form, cauliflower is introduced to young children as the first complementary foods.
How many minutes should be kept after boiling?
During cooking, do not cover the container with a lid. In this case, the vegetable will turn yellow. Also, after cooking, do not leave the cabbage for a long time in hot water, otherwise it will be digested and the structure will become soft. You need to pull it out on a plate and let it cool, and then proceed to further cooking.
How long to cook? The duration of pre-cooking depends on the dish you plan to cook:
Why bitter after heat treatment?
Why is cabbage bitter after cooking? It is important during the cooking process not to overexpose the vegetable in boiling water. Otherwise, it will become soft, loose, lose its shape. It will also not be appetizing. appearance product, an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste will appear.
If cooked incorrectly, not only taste characteristics will change, but a large number of minerals and vitamins will be destroyed by prolonged exposure high temperature.
How to cook: step by step instructions
How to properly boil cauliflower? There are several ways to cook cabbage. Still, it is considered traditional - cooking in a saucepan. Boiled cauliflower is a ready-made juicy and tender dish, which is part of children's and dietary food with a fat content of 0.3% and a calorie content of 29 kcal per 100 g of the product.
The best container for cooking is enamelware with a thick bottom..
It is better to soak the inflorescences in salted water before cooking, and if there is debris left somewhere, it will float up. They say that boiled cauliflower is one of the most dietary and healthy dishes for the human body.
in a saucepan
To cook cauliflower you need:
- Pour water and put on a strong fire.
- Add salt: for 1 liter of water you need 10g of salt.
- You can add 1 tablespoon of acetic acid so that the vegetable does not darken during the thermal preparation.
- Put cauliflower into boiling water.
- The heating intensity of the container should be reduced.
- During the cooking process, it is important to periodically test the readiness of the product.
The cooking time of cabbage in a saucepan is chosen depending on the further use of cauliflower.
In the microwave
Cooking with this method can be done in different ways.
- Water is poured into a special container for the microwave, salted and inflorescences are placed there.
- Be sure to cover with a lid.
- Cook at full power for 5-7 minutes.
- After immediately do not remove, you need to let cool.
If this time is not enough, you should turn on the microwave for another 2-4 minutes.
The first way to cook in the microwave:
- Disassembled inflorescences are placed in a bowl.
- Pour 3 tablespoons of milk for every 0.5 kg of cauliflower.
- Salt, cover.
- Simmer for 3 minutes at maximum power.
- Then add spices and cook for another 10 minutes until cooked.
But to cook diet dish, and in summer and spring this is most relevant, you can simply put out the cauliflower.
In a double boiler
How to determine readiness?
As already mentioned, the overcooked vegetable is not tasty and does not have an aesthetic appearance. Therefore, it is important not to miss the moment of readiness.
To check the readiness of the cabbage, you need to pierce the base of the branch with a knife or fork. If it enters easily, then it is cooked.
What dishes can be made?
Boiled cauliflower dishes are healthy and nutritious. Boiled cabbage is part of the recipes for preparing many dishes, and therefore what to cook from cabbage after boiling will depend only on your imagination. They are excellent during Lent or for people who prefer vegetarianism. Basically, cauliflower is used in boiled recipes, for example, before frying in batter.
You can cook many different dishes from cauliflower. Cauliflower boiled in salted water, seasoned butter delicious on its own. However, with a little effort, boiled cauliflower can be made into gratins.
How and what can you cook deliciously using boiled cabbage?
Cauliflower can be cooked:
- vegetable soups, puree soups;
- salads;
- casseroles;
- souffle;
- fried in breadcrumbs, batter, in an egg;
- as a side dish (cauliflower puree is a good alternative to a potato dish).
For the preparation of second courses from cauliflower, it is disassembled into inflorescences, blanched, and then fried in breadcrumbs, batter, baked in pots, or a casserole is prepared from it. Young sprouts are added to soups or vegetable stews. For the winter, cauliflower can be salted and pickled.
Conclusion
So, knowing how much time it takes to cook cauliflower and the sequence of execution, it's easy to prepare a low-calorie, satisfying meal for the whole family. With proper cooking, the inflorescences will keep their shape and retain valuable properties.. It is especially important to use this product for children at any age.
Beijing cabbage is an early, dietary and healing product. Crispy juicy leaves do not coarsen for a long time as they grow. In the heat, with a moderate lack of moisture, they do not accumulate bitterness, they are not high in calories and taste good. Why is Beijing (Chinese) cabbage bitter in a salad?
The main causes of the bitterness of Chinese cabbage:
- Unpleasant taste, it happens, appears with errors in the technology of growing cabbage.
Reference! Bitterness can occur if the harvest time is missed, the plant has already managed to release a flower arrow.
- In a very dry and hot summer, if the plant grows all the time on the sunny side. If there is no regular watering, at least two or three times a week. Because of the so-called plant stress.
- It happens that low-quality goods get on the shelves for sale, an excess of nitrates accumulates in the green mass of Chinese cabbage. Usually, this is a sulfur-containing substance. The presence of chemical compounds gives a bitter taste to the delicate leaves of Beijing.
- Sometimes bitterness is a feature of the variety (hybrid). Early varieties of cabbage, such as the variety "Khibinskaya", which are grown in open beds, ripen in 40 - 45 days and usually do not have a bitter taste.
- Improper storage or transport. The vegetables may have been thawed during storage. Rot appeared on the leaves, but the cabbage went on sale anyway.
How to determine the true cause of bitterness?
What can give bitterness in a dish besides a Chinese vegetable?
Beijing cabbage is stewed and boiled, used in salads and soups along with other vegetables, spices and fruits. Beijing cabbage has an unforgettable light taste.
Attention! The bitter taste of some vegetables and seasonings is their natural and natural taste. If a dish with the addition of Beijing cabbage is bitter, then perhaps radish or horseradish, mustard or grapefruit give this piquant taste to food. The list of truly bitter foods goes on.
And if the bitter taste in the dish was not provided for by the recipe? It happens that some vegetables acquire an unusual bitter taste. It may appear due to onion or lettuce, spinach, other varieties of cabbage, such as Brussels sprouts or kohlrabi. For example, there are some varieties of lettuce that are bitter on their own. The record holder for bitterness is an ordinary fresh cucumber.
Sometimes bitterness in a salad, where Beijing is added, can only appear the next day.
What should be done to eliminate the bad taste?
If the plant has bitter leaves, then you can remove the unpleasant aftertaste in one of the following simple ways.:
Important! When boiling and soaking, vitamins (ascorbic acid) and other useful substances also get into the water with bitterness. Cabbage is no longer bitter, but it has less health benefits.
How to understand that a vegetable is spoiling?
Beijing cabbage is a delicious and healthy product that diversifies our table. To understand that the cabbage is spoiled, they carefully examine:
- Is it properly sealed in cling film, is there any damage.
- Is there rot on the leaves or are there traces of insect activity, bruising.
- The forks of the plant should be evenly colored on all sides, tight and dense.
- The head of cabbage must be healthy, without damage, unwashed, dry, peeled from damaged and weak leaves. With excessive moisture, it will quickly rot.
For food, it is better to choose cabbage slightly flattened on top.. If the stalk is cracked at the cut point, the cabbage will be juicy and not bitter.
Bitterness in Chinese cabbage, unlike cucumbers or lettuce, is an unpleasant but infrequent phenomenon. Methods for eliminating it are not difficult. Do not deprive yourself of the pleasure of pampering yourself with a dish of juicy and healthy Beijing!
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How to remove the bitterness of cabbage?
- Cut the cabbage separately in a bowl, mash it well, add salt, mash it and let it stand for 5 minutes, then drain the juice and put the cabbage into the salad. In general, see what kind of cabbage you take. Choose a slightly flattened top, and if the stalk at the cut point is cracked, it’s generally wonderful - it will be juicy and not bitter.
- blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes and put on a sieve, pour over with cold water
- soak in salted water
- Why is cabbage bitter? Bitterness in cabbage can be for several reasons. Some varieties of cabbage are prone to bitterness (Brussels, cauliflower) and if grown improperly, with a lack of moisture, they can be bitter. The second reason is not particularly encouraging, since cabbage can be bitter with an excess of nitrates, of course they do it in the markets chemical analysis and seize low-quality goods, but in 15% of cases it can end up on the shelves of sellers.
How to remove bitterness from cauliflower? Cauliflower is sometimes really bitter. This does not apply to frozen, but to fresh, in swings. To get rid of the bitterness of cauliflower, you can:
1. Cauliflower is advised to boil before frying, or scalded with salted boiling water after such procedures, there will be no trace of bitterness in cabbage.
2. Soak it in salted and acidified water, then the bitterness will go away. Well, if you cook cauliflower without salt, then just acidify the water and then into a double boiler
3. Also, bitterness in cabbage helps to remove lemon juice well; you need to sprinkle them with disassembled inflorescences.
How to remove bitterness in sauerkraut? To leave the bitterness, you need to remove the oppression and pierce the cabbage in places of fifty to ten. It is better if it is a wooden thin stick, but if this is not available, then you can also use a thin knife. You can do this procedure on the second or third day after sourdough. After that, the cabbage must be taken out in the cold or put in the refrigerator. Never wash sauerkraut with warm or hot water, only cool boiled water! Otherwise, you will lose all the sourness and useful properties.
How to remove bitterness from early cabbage? To remove the bitterness of early cabbage, dip it for a minute in boiling water.
How to remove bitterness from Brussels sprouts? There are several ways to remove the bitterness from Brussels sprouts and they actually help, as they have already been successfully tested.
1. Put the cabbage in boiling water, after a few seconds drain the water, pour in fresh water, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Just add a few drops of lemon juice when boiling Brussels sprouts! And if you cook in a double boiler, you can also add lemon juice to the water, only a little more than when cooking.
Source: Encyclopedia useful knowledge ktoikak.com
- I have never come across bitter cabbage, neither cabbage nor cauliflower ...
Yes, just do not eat this bitter cabbage! bitterness can be from anything, from pesticides and nitrates (((
do you need it?
natural causes
Almost all cabbage stalks, as well as some of the leaves, have a slight bitterness - this is normal. The reason for the phenomenon is the content of glycosides in the vegetable, which are the plant's natural defense against pathogens and pests.
Late and mid-late varieties are able to accumulate glycosides in greater quantities than varieties that ripen earlier. This also applies to hybrids of the Ogorodnaya mistress variety.
For winter consumption, these varieties are suitable after they lie down for some time. As a rule, they are used for food no earlier than February. They are distinguished by dense, bluish outer leaves with a waxy coating and green leaves inside. The amount of glycosides decreases in proportion to the storage time. The harvest of these varieties is stored in the cellar, until March the bitter taste disappears completely.
In summer and autumn, early and mid-season varieties are eaten, the leaves of which are light green or white. The same species are suitable for pickling for the winter.
Growing mistakes
Excessive content of mineral fertilizers, nitrogenous compounds and nitrates, as well as a lack of potassium, phosphorus and trace elements during the formation of the fork give the crop a bitter taste. Cabbage is very bitter if a large amount of fertilizer is combined with poor watering.
Premature harvesting prevents the vegetable from ripening and acquiring a natural taste. Hot pepper grown nearby transmits its taste qualities in the neighborhood, so it cannot be planted in the immediate vicinity.
Cabbage is bitter if bitter substances have increased under the influence of adverse factors such as extreme heat or drought. During watering, it is important not to forget to treat with potassium humate. Cabbage beds are watered in accordance with the variety and weather conditions. Cabbage loves water - be sure to take this fact into account when growing.
Harvesting must be carried out no later and no earlier than the established dates. Proper crop rotation in the garden helps to get great-tasting forks.
How to get rid of bitterness
Bitterness from heads of early varieties goes away if their leaves are dipped in boiling water for a minute. You can also remove the bitterness from the cabbage, if you chop it finely, and then hold it in water for half an hour.
Sauerkraut will not be bitter if 2-3 days after salting it is pierced in 5-10 places with a thin wooden stick, after which it is placed in a cold place. Sauerkraut is washed only with cool boiled water, but not hot or warm: this will deprive it of taste and all useful substances.
If late cabbage is noticeably bitter, due to the fact that it was removed before the first frost, its bitterness cannot be removed: it will not disappear even after storage.
Sauerkraut or fresh cabbage, which, due to long storage has lost its positive qualities and is bitter, it must be thrown away without regret.
Bitterness in Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts
Fresh cauliflower is sometimes bitter. To cope with this, it is scalded with boiling water or boiled. Salty and acidified water, if you soak cabbage in it, will also relieve it of bitterness. A good solution to the problem is to spray the disassembled inflorescences with lemon juice.
Bitter brussels sprouts, with the help of proven means, are deprived of this quality. In cooking, 2 main methods are used:
- When cooking, add a few drops of lemon juice to the water. When cooking with a double boiler, a little more lemon juice is added to the water.
- Place cabbage in boiling water for a few seconds. After that, drain the liquid, pour fresh, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Summarizing
Any type of cabbage has unique nutritional and beneficial properties. Vegetables are used for treatment and prevention various diseases. The main thing is that the taste remains pleasant, and for this, using proven methods, it is necessary to rid the culture of bitterness.
Why cabbage is bitter
The presence of an unpleasant wormwood flavor depends on several factors:
- unripe vegetables;
- violations of agricultural technology during cultivation;
- dry summer;
- a large number of chemical growth stimulants.
Let's look at each case individually and try to remedy the situation.
Most often, such a nuisance occurs with the early varieties of this priceless vegetable. The first crop of cabbage in the season sins with an excess of nitrates, because the cost of its production is quite large.
Greenhouses are required to heat, light and plants in the right amount nutrients and provide irrigation. Therefore, unscrupulous farmers intensively “feed” seedlings with a mass of nitrogenous substances that guarantee rapid growth of leaves.
In this case, it is unrealistic to correct the situation - nitrates do not leave the product even during heat treatment. Therefore, when buying early cabbage in the market, you should tear off a small piece and chew it, of course, with the permission of the seller.
Another thing is if bitterness is a feature of a particular variety. In this case, you can correct the situation as follows:
- chopped shavings from a young vegetable should be lightly salted and slightly crushed with your hands. Set aside, when the cabbage starts juice - drain it;
- prepared pieces can be sprinkled with lemon juice and sent to the salad. The combination of acid and olive or any other oil perfectly removes the wormwood flavor;
- dip the prepared cabbage for a few seconds in boiling water and then quickly send it to ice water to stop the cooking process. This option is especially good for small children. One minus - during heat treatment, part of the vitamins will be destroyed.
In late varieties of cabbage, unripe heads of cabbage can be bitter. Therefore, put it away for storage only after the first frost. All unpleasant substances are concentrated in cruciferous plants in seals and the stalk itself, therefore, in varieties with such a flaw, these places should be removed.
Little secret. My family loves stewed cabbage. On most culinary sites, it is simply poured with tomato dressing and sent to the stove. I slightly crush the pre-salted chips and lightly fry them in a dry frying pan. No bitterness or unpleasant odor remains in the pieces.
When a bitter taste spoils your sauerkraut, it means that you have prepared it incorrectly. In the process of fermentation in vegetable pickling, gases are formed that must be released by piercing the cabbage mass with a wooden stick. And be sure to remove the foam that actively forms on the surface of the bucket or barrel in the first week of fermentation.
This type of vegetable is bitter only if the head turned out to be overgrown or stored for a long time in the wrong place. Moisture gradually leaves the inflorescences, and the juice in the vegetable becomes concentrated.
To remove bitterness from cauliflower, you can:
- put in cold, lightly salted water and send to the stove. As soon as the liquid boils, drain
- the first broth and pour clean boiling water. Then cook according to the recipe;
- disassemble the buds into inflorescences and soak for at least half an hour in cold water, acidified with lemon;
- pre-boil in water with the addition of milk or in a whole cow product;
- send the cabbage disassembled into inflorescences for an hour or two into the freezer. After sub-zero temperatures, it never becomes bitter.
Naturally, none of the above methods will help against pesticides and nitrates.
This vegetable has a wormwood flavor regardless of the methods of cultivation, because children do not like it very much.
I adapted to making these little heads edible very simply:
- I remove the top leaves, carefully cut the stalk crosswise with the tip of a knife;
- I dip the heads in salted boiling water for a minute;
- I take out hot Brussels sprouts with a slotted spoon from the pan and send it to the water with ice.
Before removing bitterness from cabbage, be sure to analyze the vegetable in the nearest laboratory or using a portable device - excess chemistry in the diet of children and adults can lead to sad consequences.
I hope my tips will be useful to you in the future or right now! Subscribe to my blog and recommend it to your friends in in social networks- I know how to surprise you!
Cabbage is a traditional product in the beds of domestic agronomists. The plant has a huge amount of vitamins and minerals that contribute to the normal functioning of all organs. Cabbage is also indispensable in winter time when colds are common.
Exists great amount dishes, the main ingredient of which is cabbage. This is borscht, pickle, a variety of salads and zrazy. But the first place can rightfully be given to sauerkraut. The dish has an excellent taste and goes well 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 cook this tasty and healthy product.
Huge benefit
Cabbage is one of the few foods that retain their beneficial properties after processing. Basic Secrets sauerkraut consist in increasing the amount of vitamin C in the cooking process. That is why the product is considered indispensable in the winter cold. Dairy and acetic acid, which are contained in sourdough in large quantities, perfectly protect against many pathogenic bacteria.
Sauerkraut is an excellent prevention of constipation. Daily use of the product improves performance gastrointestinal tract. In addition, cabbage helps to strengthen the heart muscle, so it should be a mandatory component of the daily diet of the elderly.
If you had to wonder why sauerkraut is bitter, this does not mean at all that the product is cooked incorrectly. Bitterness in this vegetable can be present for several reasons. For example, color and with improper cultivation, namely with a lack of moisture, may have a bitter taste. In addition, the quality of cabbage may deteriorate with an excess amount of nitrates in it.
Essential food for weight loss
A diet based on the use of sauerkraut is considered simple and quite effective. The product in any form has a reduced calorie content.
100 g of cabbage contains only 19 kcal. 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 the use of a delicious product. Sour cabbage can be enjoyed in any quantity. And if you had to wonder why sauerkraut is bitter, it means that either all the technologies were not followed in the process of its preparation, or the vegetable itself is unsuitable for consumption. Quality product should have a pleasant taste and aroma.
Contraindications
Despite the huge number useful properties, has sauerkraut also contraindications.
They are primarily hyperacidity and peptic ulcer. People with ulcers should generally refrain from weight loss diets. Food should be complete, but sparing.
The unpleasant consequences of eating sauerkraut can also appear in healthy people. Bad signs include stomach pain, flatulence, swelling. If the kidneys cannot cope with the removal of fluid from the body due to the use of sauerkraut, the product will have to be discarded.
How to pickle cabbage
There are several options for making excellent sauerkraut. But before you cook a dish, you should learn how to select the initial ingredients. Only ripe cabbage is suitable for sauerkraut. A young vegetable will not give a rich aroma and taste. An overripe product will also not work.
Every housewife should know how to cook excellent sauerkraut. The most popular recipe is quite simple. In addition to the main ingredient, you will need ingredients such as carrots, currant and horseradish leaves, dill, salt and pepper. For 10 kg of fresh cabbage, you need to take 200 g of salt.
The preparation of the dish begins with cleaning and shredding the 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 follow the recipe completely.
The vegetable must release juice. Coarse coarse salt allows you to speed up this process. The liquid begins to stand out due to mechanical influences, so the cabbage needs to be well mashed with your hands.
It should be noted that there are several ways to ferment this vegetable:
1. sprinkled with salt;
2. pouring hot or cold brine.
The most common additives in sauerkraut are:
Berries (lingonberries, cranberries);
Fruits (plums, apples);
Pickled or salted mushrooms;
Celery, bell pepper;
clove, cumin, hot peppers, laurel
As a rule, additional products should be taken as much as salt.
We sour cabbage in a jar
If you have a small family, this recipe will come in handy, as the cooking process will not take much time. As a container for fermentation, a three-liter glass jar is suitable for us, in which we will lay out the following ingredients in layers:
Large beets (1 pc.);
Garlic (2 heads);
Hot pepper (3 pcs.).
Preparing the brine:
Water (1l);
Salt (2 tablespoons);
Sugar (0.5 tbsp.);
Vinegar 9% (1/3 cup);
Allspice (8 peas);
Bay leaf (3-5 pieces).
It should be noted that on three-liter jar cabbage, you need 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! Do not close the jar with a lid, because during the fermentation process gases are formed, which should freely go outside. To speed up their release, it is recommended to periodically pierce the cabbage with a wooden stick to the very bottom and remove excess foam protruding from the surface. By following these simple rules, you will never wonder why sauerkraut is bitter.
Why is sauerkraut bitter?
Not only non-compliance with technology can cause a bad taste of sauerkraut. Incorrect harvesting also matters.
Quite often, sauerkraut made from heads of cabbage that were cut before the onset of frost becomes bitter. Therefore, for sauerkraut it is worth choosing only well-ripened vegetables.
Many are interested in why sauerkraut is bitter if all the ingredients were chosen correctly. In this case, the dish can remain bitter only temporarily. If the cooking was done correctly, an unnatural taste may indicate that the cabbage has not yet thoroughly fermented.
The bitterness of cabbage can be removed. Before packaging the product in jars, you need to let it brew in the open. In addition, the tree absorbs bitterness well. It is no coincidence that many people cook cabbage in special wooden barrels.
What to pair with sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is considered a versatile product that is ideal for absolutely any side dish. It could be potatoes buckwheat, pasta, rice, etc. With the help of ready-made sauerkraut, you can create many delicious dishes.
Soups and borschts based on this common vegetable are popular. And its fermented version gives any dish an unusual aroma and taste.