White cabbage recipes fit perfectly into the winter. What's good in white cabbage, how it tastes best - and recipes from cabbage rolls to Coleslaw.
When is white cabbage in season?
White cabbage (also known as Weißkraut, Kappes, or Kabis depending on the region) is available all year round, but in winter the often hearty white cabbage recipes are especially popular. The main harvesting months for early white cabbage are May and June; the other varieties are harvested in September, October, and November. Imports play only a small role in the German market.
What do I have to consider when buying white cabbage?
The heads should be firmly closed and have no eating or beating spots. Remove withered outer leaves easily.
How is white cabbage stored?
In a cool place (in the refrigerator or cellar) a white cabbage head will keep for about two weeks.
What are the nutritional values of white cabbage?
White cabbage contains about 20 milligrams of vitamin C, the highest content of all cabbages. Like all types of cabbage, white cabbage contains ascorbigen - a precursor of vitamin C, which is only converted to vitamin C during cooking. Normally some of this vitamin is lost during cooking. White cabbage also contains calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, iron, and iodine. The cabbage also contains provitamin A, vitamins of the B group, and dietary fiber.
For which recipes is white cabbage used?
Large quantities are industrially processed into sauerkraut. In your own kitchen, white cabbage is often used for stews, casseroles, or braised as a vegetable garnish. A German classic is cabbage rolls. For this, blanched large cabbage leaves are filled with seasoned minced meat, rolled up, fried briefly, and then braised.
How is white cabbage prepared?
White cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked. Because of the outer leaves, the head is "cleanly packed" - once the outer leaves have been removed, the cabbage head does not need to be rinsed.
To cut the large head into small pieces, first quarter the cabbage with a large long knife.
Cut the stem out of the cabbage quarters in a wedge shape. The stalk is very hard and is not eaten.
For braising or salads, cut the cabbage quarters crosswise into narrow long strips.
The cabbage strips become particularly fine when the cabbage quarters are finely grated on a vegetable grater. This is especially important if the cabbage is to be eaten raw as a salad.
For white cabbage salad, mash the finely cut cabbage and a little salt with a meat tenderizer or a large filled tin (clean the tin well beforehand). This will partially shatter the firm leaf structure and the cabbage will become "friable".
There are also salad recipes in which the cabbage is boiled in salted water for a few minutes, which makes it more tender and increases the vitamin C content.
Tips for white cabbage recipes
White cabbage becomes even healthier when cooked because the ascorbic is converted to vitamin C. This is why cabbage is often used in stews and stews. Stewing makes the cabbage taste slightly sweeter. If you suffer from stomach or intestinal diseases, you should not eat too much white cabbage because it has a strong flatulent effect.