# Do You Like Sauerkraut? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874 "2011-03-24T18:33:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/61 "2011-03-25T14:22:35Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > I have German on both sides of the family but not a lot of sauerkraut was eaten at the table during my growing-up years. > > Today from time to time I fix slow-baked smoked sausages on a bed of sauerkraut. I don’t like the overly-vinegary taste either, altho I love the vegetable, and always rinse the sauerkraut before adding it to the baking dish. > > The sausages help mitigate it further, but i’d like to find a way to kill it off more even before it bakes. I’m intrigued about the buttery flavor you mentioned. Any idea how he created the taste? He rinsed it really really well before heating it and cut the butter into it in layers. I mean this was not your fancy sauerkraut. He literally microwaved it but it was purdy damn good. It’s one of my favorite meals for when I’m in a hurry. I put turkey kielbasa in a pan with onions and maybe peppers, heat up the sauerkraut. Slap the kielbasa in a bun and serve it with the sauerkraut or put it on top. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/62 "2011-03-25T14:31:39Z")
So, so, so gross. Which makes me a blood traitor since I’m \>50% German. We had it kind of a lot growing up, my mom would make it and slice up polish sausage and mix it all up. I would be served a big helping and just eat the sausage (which was delicious), leaving only sad strings of orphaned kraut behind. My mom was nice and didn’t make me eat the kraut though, since I loved spinach and green peppers and boiled cabbage and brussels sprouts. She knew I didn’t hate all vegetables. Just kraut! I really enjoy corned beef and cabbage, though. The Irish REALLY nailed the leafy-veggie-and-meat recipe, way better than the Germans. The slightly bitter taste of boiled cabbage is a perfect foil for the super-saltiness of corned beef. I could eat that stuff every day. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/63 "2011-03-25T14:40:39Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > [slight hijack] Don’t want to derail the thread, but please allow me one question: Is the combination of fruits with spicy food a special Dutch thing? I find apricots or bananas in combination with sauerkraut and cheese at least, say, adventurous. But I remember my then girlfriend ordering a pizza with fruit toppings (oranges, strawberries, bananas) in a restaurant in Noord-Holland many moons ago, and I was startled by this combination then. [/slight hijack] No, that’s just your weird girlfriend and this weird Doper. But I wouldn’t call sauerkraut spicy. Just hearty. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/64 "2011-03-25T15:12:07Z")
_Kimchi_ is spicy. Kraut is just…kraut. Cabbage in all forms is divine. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/65 "2011-03-25T15:18:02Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > Then that’s good, because sauerkraut has no vinegar in it. You may not like the lactic acid from the fermentation, though. 🙂 > Cabbage with vinegar is something different, sometimes called pickled cabbage. (_Rotkohl_ is a common German preparation made with red cabbage and vinegar). Fair enough. I don’t really like cabbage in general, although I don’t mind sweet(ish) cole slaw or sweet(ish) German red cabbage. I’ve never had sauerkraut that I liked, though. Not a kimchi fan, either. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/66 "2011-03-25T17:23:20Z")
Oh, now we’re onto kimchi. Now, like I said, I love sauerkraut, but if you put kimchi in the mix, I’m going to have to cheat on my Polish heritage, because kimchi is going to win every time. You won’t find me eating a bowl of sauerkraut straight out of the fridge, with nothing else, but you may find me with a pair of chopsticks eating a bowl of kimchi (or, more likely, straight out of the jar.) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/67 "2011-03-25T17:31:06Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > No, that’s just your weird girlfriend and this weird Doper. But I wouldn’t call sauerkraut spicy. Just hearty. Thanks for clearing that. But actually, not only my girlfriend was weird (how did you know :)), but also the restaurant or the chef, since the fruit pizza was on the regular menu. And you’re right, hearty describes the taste of sauerkraut better than spicy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/68 "2011-03-25T20:47:52Z")
Canadian bacon, pineapple & sauerkraut pizza. Heaven. And for some reason, no one ever horns in on my half of the pie! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/69 "2011-03-25T22:02:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, now we’re onto kimchi. Now, like I said, I love sauerkraut, but if you put kimchi in the mix, I’m going to have to cheat on my Polish heritage, because kimchi is going to win every time. You won’t find me eating a bowl of sauerkraut straight out of the fridge, with nothing else, but you may find me with a pair of chopsticks eating a bowl of kimchi (or, more likely, straight out of the jar.) Yup, that’s me. Happily, I’m the only one who likes at home, so I get it all to myself! ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/70 "2011-03-26T03:35:54Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > I have German on both sides of the family but not a lot of sauerkraut was eaten at the table during my growing-up years. > > Today from time to time I fix slow-baked smoked sausages on a bed of sauerkraut. I don’t like the overly-vinegary taste either, altho I love the vegetable, and always rinse the sauerkraut before adding it to the baking dish. > > The sausages help mitigate it further, but i’d like to find a way to kill it off more even before it bakes. I’m intrigued about the buttery flavor you mentioned. Any idea how he created the taste? Usually, I make Sauerkraut as a bed for Bone in Country Ribs but sometimes Sausage. My trick is to rinse the Sauerkraut really well with cold water in a colander and toss in a couple of sliced apples and an onion, then stir in a heaping tablespoon or two of brown sugar. Makes for a very mild and delicious kraut. If you don’t like it normally, you might like it this way. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/71 "2011-03-26T14:18:43Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Usually, I make Sauerkraut as a bed for Bone in Country Ribs but sometimes Sausage. My trick is to rinse the Sauerkraut really well with cold water in a colander and toss in a couple of sliced apples and an onion, then stir in a heaping tablespoon or two of brown sugar. Makes for a very mild and delicious kraut. If you don’t like it normally, you might like it this way. THIS sounds delicious! Gonna have to try this one! ---
**Author:** ![wonder\_lust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@wonder\_lust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonder_lust)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/72 "2011-03-26T20:52:53Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I like it way, with anything, especially if it has caraway seeds in it. Anybody else like it that way? Count me in for caraway seeds. I prefer it hot, but am ok with cold. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/73 "2011-03-27T02:14:25Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Usually, I make Sauerkraut as a bed for Bone in Country Ribs but sometimes Sausage. My trick is to rinse the Sauerkraut really well with cold water in a colander and toss in a couple of sliced apples and an onion, then stir in a heaping tablespoon or two of brown sugar. Makes for a very mild and delicious kraut. If you don’t like it normally, you might like it this way. And you guys mention the buttery effect. Like I said, I usually bed and snuggle some well marbled, fatty, bone in Country Ribs (actually a dissection of Pork Shoulder) on the Kraut, Apples (sometimes pineapple… I can see **Maastricht’s** Craut Casserole going really well with pineapple as well, Pineapple juice and Kraut juice would make a nice mix with tequila or vodka… A Dirty Olga.), and Onion. The Pork Fat exceeds butter and melds well with the sour, fruity, melange. The original sour skittles. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/74 "2011-03-27T02:24:26Z")
I love it when it’s good, but it isn’t always good. My favorite is my Austrian grandmother’s recipe, which is a vinegary and mustardy concoction that emphasizes the crisp cabbage and carrots instead of burying them under a heavier cream sauce. Not to say that I could never like a creamy sauerkraut, but I could never like it as much as my grandmother’s vinegary sauerkraut. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/75 "2011-03-27T02:47:26Z")
Just to see how archaic you all are, anybody ever buy and consume Kraut Juice? I guess my Grandparents used to drink it. They, however, also drank Buttermilk and Goat’s Milk. It’s available under the Fremont company label. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/76 "2011-03-27T03:03:27Z")
I add Pickle juice to my Virgin Marys. And I’m sure a fair number of people here have drunk a desperate jar of pickle juice. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/77 "2011-03-27T04:00:33Z")
Love it on dogs or brats, esp. beer brewed brats w onions, yum. I also like it with a porkchop + spaetzel + taters; it balances the strong flavors with a tart/astringent flavor, similar to how a pickle spear balances a sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/78 "2011-03-27T04:04:11Z")
I hated it as a child but that was before I ever had stuff that wasn’t out of a can. I love Bubbie’s kraut. Cold and crunchy is best but I sometimes put it over pork chops or spare ribs in the slow cooker. And a brat just isn’t a brat without kraut. When I’m up for it, I make my own. Cabbage, kosher salt, boiling water and canning jars. It’s good when you add caraway seeds to the mix too. It’s ready in six weeks. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/79 "2011-03-27T04:32:39Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I love it when it’s good, but it isn’t always good. > > My favorite is my Austrian grandmother’s recipe, which is a vinegary and mustardy concoction that emphasizes the crisp cabbage and carrots instead of burying them under a heavier cream sauce. Not to say that I could never like a creamy sauerkraut, but I could never like it as much as my grandmother’s vinegary sauerkraut. I do, however, frame the Fruity Skittles Kraut against a buttery, creamy, mashed potatoes with the magical rib. I call it the magical rib, because it isn’t really a rib, but it looks like a rib, only it’s better. Schulter Rippchen, I think that’s Rot Käppchens Bruder. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874/80 "2011-03-27T05:30:28Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > I add Pickle juice to my Virgin Marys. And I’m sure a fair number of people here have drunk a desperate jar of pickle juice. Guilty as charged. It’s an old Eastern European hangover cure. It also makes for a refreshing summer drink when cut with carbonated water, but I could understand how that might not be for everyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-sauerkraut/575874.md?page=5)