Rotkohl

Name: Rotkohl
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Germany
Ingredients: 1 kg red cabbage (about ½ a large head), finely shredded; 2 medium cooking apples (Bramley or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and grated or finely diced; 1 large onion, finely sliced; 3 tbsp goose fat, lard, or butter; 4 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly or lingonberry jam (or 1 tbsp sugar); 200 ml water or dry red wine; 4 whole cloves; 3 juniper berries, lightly crushed; 2 bay leaves; 1 stick cinnamon; 1 tsp salt

German braised red cabbage with apple, vinegar, and warming spices

Origin: Germany

From the journey of Cabbage.

Rotkohl (literally 'red cabbage', also called Blaukraut, 'blue cabbage,' in Bavaria and Austria, because the pH of the cooking liquid determines whether it stays red or turns blue) is Germany's great braised cabbage dish, a dark, glossy, sweet-sour mass of slow-cooked red cabbage that is the inseparable companion of roast goose, duck, pork knuckle, and Sauerbraten throughout the German-speaking world. The technique of braising red cabbage with vinegar, apples, and spices appears in German cookbooks from at least the 16th century and has remained largely unchanged since. The combination is classically balanced: the cabbage's natural bitterness and colour, the acid of vinegar (which also preserves the vivid purple-red), the sweetness of apple and sugar, and the warmth of clove, juniper, and bay. It is one of the most reliable of all brassica preparations: it improves over two or three days in the refrigerator and freezes extremely well. Every German grandmother has her version, and every version is subtly different.

Ingredients

Cabbage

1 kg red cabbage (about ½ a large head), finely shredded

Fruit

2 medium cooking apples (Bramley or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and grated or finely diced

Aromatics

1 large onion, finely sliced

Fat

3 tbsp goose fat, lard, or butter

Acid

4 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Sweet

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly or lingonberry jam (or 1 tbsp sugar)

Liquid

200 ml water or dry red wine

Spice

4 whole cloves
3 juniper berries, lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon

Seasoning

1 tsp salt

Method

Melt the fat in a large, heavy-based pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 minutes until softened and beginning to turn golden.
Add the shredded red cabbage and grated apple. Stir well to combine with the onion and fat.
Add the vinegar, redcurrant jelly, water or wine, cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and salt. Stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over very low heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is completely tender and the liquid is syrupy. The cabbage should be soft, sweet-sour, and deeply coloured.
Remove the cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Taste and adjust the balance of salt, vinegar, and sweetness: the final Rotkohl should be sweet, sour, and deeply savoury in roughly equal measure. Serve warm as a side dish.

Notes

Rotkohl is one of the best make-ahead side dishes in German cooking: it genuinely improves over 2–3 days in the refrigerator as the spices continue to develop. It reheats beautifully, needing just a splash of water and a stir over low heat. Traditionally served with Sauerbraten, roast goose (Martinsgans), duck, pork knuckle, or venison. Also outstanding with a mature Münster or Emmental cheese on rye bread.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control