Ingredients
Cabbage
- 6firm white cabbages, about 8 kg
- 400 gcoarse non-iodised salt, for the cores
Brine
- 5 litreswater
- 250 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 5% of the water’s weight
Aromatics
- 2 tbspblack peppercorns
- 6bay leaves
- 1 handfulmaize kernels
- 2apples or quinces, quartered
Directions
- Cut a deep cone out of the core of each cabbage, leaving the head otherwise whole, and pack the cavity tight with coarse salt. This is how salt reaches the middle of a head that will never be cut open.
- Stand the heads core-up in a scrubbed barrel or crock, packed close so they cannot float or shift.
- Dissolve the 250 g of salt fully in the water and pour it over until the cabbages are covered by at least 5 cm. Weigh the salt — 5% is what protects the barrel through the weeks before the acidity builds.
- Tuck the peppercorns, bay, maize and apple among the heads, and weight everything down under a scrubbed plate or stone.
- Once a week, draw several litres of brine off the bottom and pour it back over the top. Croatian households call this pretakanje and never skip it: without it the salt sinks, the top heads sit under-brined and go slimy, and the barrel is lost.
- Ferment somewhere cold, 10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F), for four to six weeks, until the leaves are translucent and sharply sour and pliable enough to roll without cracking.
- Keep cold through the winter. Peel off whole leaves for sarma, shred the rest for salad, and use the brine in soup.
Technique
- The weekly brine circulation is the difference between a barrel that works and one that spoils. Put it in the diary.
- Cold and slow. Fermented warm the leaves go brittle and tear as soon as you try to roll them, which defeats the purpose.
- Anything that rises above the brine will mould. Check the weight every time you circulate.
Substitutions
- A food-grade plastic bucket in place of a wooden barrel, which is what most households now use.
- Shredded cabbage in jars if there is no cold space — same 5% brine, ready in three weeks, but no whole leaves for sarma.
Variations
- The Bulgarian kiselo zele and Romanian varză murată are the same preserve under other names.
- Some households add a beetroot for colour, which turns the whole barrel pink.
History
Croatian households ferment entire cabbage heads in barrels each autumn so the pliable leaves can be rolled for sarma through winter.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kiseli kupus?
Kiseli kupus is a fermented & pickled from Croatia: whole cabbage heads soured in brine, the leaves used for sarma. Croatian households ferment entire cabbage heads in barrels each autumn so the pliable leaves can be rolled for sarma through winter.
How long does Kiseli kupus take to make?
Kiseli kupus takes 45 min plus 4 to 6 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 10-litre crock, about 6 cabbages. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kiseli kupus?
Yes, within limits. A food-grade plastic bucket in place of a wooden barrel, which is what most households now use. Shredded cabbage in jars if there is no cold space — same 5% brine, ready in three weeks, but no whole leaves for sarma.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kiseli kupus?
Cut a deep cone out of the core of each cabbage, leaving the head otherwise whole, and pack the cavity tight with coarse salt. This is how salt reaches the middle of a head that will never be cut open.
