Savanyu kaposzta

Ingredients

Cabbage

• 8 kgwhite cabbage — half shredded, half left as whole heads
• 160 gcoarse non-iodised salt for the shredded — 2% of its weight
• 300 gcoarse salt for the cores of the whole heads

Brine, for the whole heads

• 4 litreswater
• 200 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 5%

Aromatics

• 2 tbspblack peppercorns
• 2 tbspcaraway seed
• 6bay leaves
• 2quinces, quartered
• 1 handfulmaize kernels
• 1horseradish root, sliced

Directions

1. For the whole heads: cut a deep cone out of each core and pack the cavity with coarse salt. This is how salt reaches the middle of a head that is never cut open, and those heads are what give you pliable leaves for töltött káposzta.
2. Shred the other half of the cabbage finely, weigh it, and take 2% of that weight in salt. Toss with half the caraway and work it hard by the handful for ten minutes until it collapses into its own liquid.
3. Stand the whole heads core-up in the bottom of the crock and pack the squeezed shredded cabbage tightly around and over them.
4. Tuck the peppercorns, bay, remaining caraway, quince, maize and horseradish through the layers. The maize is traditional and does real work — its starch feeds the bacteria in the first days.
5. Dissolve the 200 g of salt in the 4 litres of water and pour it over until everything is covered by 5 cm. Weight it all down under a scrubbed plate or stone.
6. Once a week, draw several litres of brine off the bottom and pour it back over the top. Without this the salt sinks, the top of the crock sits under-brined and goes slimy, and the batch is lost.
7. 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.
8. Keep cold through the winter. Peel whole leaves for töltött káposzta, use the shredded for székelykáposzta, and drink the brine cold.

Technique

• The weekly brine circulation is not optional. It is the single reason a crock succeeds or fails.
• Cold and slow. Fermented warm the leaves go brittle and tear the moment you try to roll them.
• Anything above the brine will mould. Check the weight every time you circulate.

Substitutions

• A food-grade plastic bucket in place of a crock, which is what most households now use.
• Shredded only, in jars, if you have no cold space — but then there are no whole leaves for stuffing.

Variations

• Vecsés built an industry on this and its version is protected by a Hungarian geographical indication.
• The Czech kysané zelí, Croatian kiseli kupus and Bulgarian kiselo zele are the same preserve.

History

Central to Hungarian winter cooking; Vecsés near Budapest built a whole industry on it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Savanyu kaposzta?

Savanyu kaposzta is a fermented & pickled from Hungary: sauerkraut fermented in barrels, stewed with pork or rolled for töltött káposzta. Central to Hungarian winter cooking; Vecsés near Budapest built a whole industry on it.

How long does Savanyu kaposzta take to make?

Savanyu kaposzta takes 1 hour plus 4 to 6 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 10-litre crock. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Savanyu kaposzta?

Yes, within limits. A food-grade plastic bucket in place of a crock, which is what most households now use. Shredded only, in jars, if you have no cold space — but then there are no whole leaves for stuffing.

What is the most important thing to get right in Savanyu kaposzta?

For the whole heads: cut a deep cone out of each core and pack the cavity with coarse salt. This is how salt reaches the middle of a head that is never cut open, and those heads are what give you pliable leaves for töltött káposzta.