Kisla repa

Ingredients

Turnip

• 4 kgwhite turnip or swede, peeled
• 80 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 2% of the turnip weight

Aromatics

• 1 tbspcaraway seed
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 3bay leaves
• 1small handful maize kernels

Equipment

• a scrubbed crock or food-grade bucket
• a clean weight
• cooled boiled water, to top up

Directions

1. Shred the peeled turnip on the coarse side of a grater or a kraut cutter — long thin strands, not chunks, so they pack down and release their liquid.
2. Weigh the shredded turnip and take 2% of that weight in salt. Toss thoroughly and leave 30 minutes.
3. Now work it hard with your hands for five to ten minutes, squeezing by the handful, until it is limp and swimming in its own liquid. Turnip holds less water than cabbage and will not brine itself unless you force it — this is the whole labour of the recipe.
4. Pack it into the crock in layers with the caraway, peppercorns, bay and maize, pressing each layer down firmly so the liquid rises above it.
5. Weight it down. If the liquid has not covered everything after a few hours, top up with cooled boiled water until it sits 3 cm below the surface.
6. Ferment at cool room temperature, 15 to 18°C (59 to 64°F), for four to six weeks. It will bubble and smell strongly sulphurous in the first fortnight, which is normal for turnip and passes.
7. It is ready when sharply sour and still firm. Move it somewhere cold.
8. Rinse before cooking and stew with beans and smoked pork into jota, which is what most of a Slovenian crock becomes.

Technique

• Squeeze it properly. Every failed batch of kisla repa is one packed dry that never made enough brine.
• The smell in the first two weeks is genuinely unpleasant and is not a sign anything is wrong.
• Rinse before cooking, or the stew comes out far too sour and salty.

Substitutions

• Kohlrabi in place of turnip, which ferments the same way.
• A splash of brine from a working sauerkraut crock to get it started faster.

Variations

• The Croatian kisela repa is the same preserve.
• Some households ferment turnip and cabbage together in one crock.

History

Slovenian households pickled turnip and cabbage in wooden barrels for winter; sour turnip is the base of the stew jota.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kisla repa?

Kisla repa is a fermented & pickled from Slovenia: shredded turnip soured in barrels, cooked with beans or pork. Slovenian households pickled turnip and cabbage in wooden barrels for winter; sour turnip is the base of the stew jota.

How long does Kisla repa take to make?

Kisla repa takes 40 min plus 4 to 6 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 5-litre crock. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kisla repa?

Yes, within limits. Kohlrabi in place of turnip, which ferments the same way. A splash of brine from a working sauerkraut crock to get it started faster.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kisla repa?

Now work it hard with your hands for five to ten minutes, squeezing by the handful, until it is limp and swimming in its own liquid. Turnip holds less water than cabbage and will not brine itself unless you force it — this is the whole labour of the recipe.