The beauty of Thanksgiving traditions is that they have to start somewhere, as The Washington Post discovered when it recently set out to discover the unlikely inclusion of sauerkraut as part of the Thanksgiving spread in many Baltimore, Maryland, households.
Although Baltimore can thank German emigrants for the popularity of sauerkraut this time of year -- in Germany, it was a dish traditionally prepared for special occasions -- the rest of us can thank the Byzantine Empire for introducing the world to fermented cabbage.
And now, as the Post story notes, sauerkraut remains one of the few foods that is not prepared in a very different fashion from when it was first tasted:
Though it involves only cabbage and salt, preparing sauerkraut at home requires a lot of planning. The process can take anywhere from three to eight weeks, depending on the temperature and a willingness to put up with the beery smell of fermenting leaves.
Since the prospect of fermenting your own sauerkraut will likely seem
like a tad too much effort -- and stink -- for the average household,
this is a tradition that might have to be catered or store bought. Your first -- and potentially only -- stop should be Werner's Specialty Foods Ltd. in Mission, Kansas. The European specialty store understands the universe of sausage and everything that goes with it, particularly the importance of sauerkraut.
Those feeling a bit queasy can try sauerkraut juice -- it's sold in 17-ounce bottles at Whole Foods. On my last shopping trip, an elderly couple was buying a half-dozen bottles and explained that it is a natural digestive. So, it turns out the key to having an iron stomach is being able to stomach the kind of drink you would expect someone with an iron stomach would drink.
It feels like every Thanksgiving, a few new side dishes get rotated onto the buffet table. Could this be the year for sauerkraut to graduate from hot dog condiment to turkey accoutrement?
[Image via Flickr: jason lam]
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