[Sca-cooks] Sour Cabbage -- notes

[Johnna Holloway]

Sour Cabbage Notes—

Went looking for references to sauerkraut last night. This was before 
reading this am's posts, so forgive me for being behind in those.
In Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe: A Book of Essays.
In this collection edited by Melitta Weiss Adamson with the section on
Germany written by Adamson, I found these mentions—

<>In talking about 16th century food in Germany, she writes “Lower class 
foods according to Ryff are oats, cabbage, chestnuts, beans, millet, and 
turnips… Cabbage, Ryff informs the reader, is eaten daily all over 
Germany, and in Bavaria sauerkraut is eaten three to four times a day as 
a meal. Page 163

Ryff’s book is Guualterus H. Rivius [Walter Ryff]. Kurtze aber vast 
eigentliche nutzliche vnd in pflegung… it dates from 1549

<>Adamson later on in her discussion of Daz Buch von Gutter Spise 
mentions that “Two recipes each contain cabbage/sauerkraut (recipes 48, 
84). Page 169

If one checks the edition of Daz Buch von Gutter Spise that Adamson 
edited, one will find that recipe 48 is a sauce recipe that ends “and 
some sauerkraut or turnips, anything you want.”

<>Apparently in the 1460 cookbook written by von Maister Hans or Meister 
Hans (facsimile is titled Maister Hannsen des von Wirtenburg koch) there 
is a mention made to cabbage seeds being saved from cabbage worms. 
Meister Hans noted “I secretly noticed that you like to eat sauerkraut, 
while by nature I prefer gruel…” Page 176 <>

Lastly Adamson mentions that the 1485 Kuchenmeysterey contains some 
material in the sauces section. “The focus in chapter 4 is on sauces, 
especially garlic sauces, mustard, electuaries, cabbage, and 
sauerkraut.” Page 183

Perhaps someone could check a copy of the Kuchenmeysterey and see what 
is in this chapter. I don’t have a copy at hand of this.

<>Hope this helps <>
Johnnae
---------------

The earliest mention of Sauerkraut is from 1607 in the book "Le Tresor di Santi" written in
1607, which describes it as being German.  There are pickled cabbage recipes that go back to
Roman times, but they aren't quite sauerkaut.  

So I would say that Sauerkraut is probably late period, but we just haven't found the recipes
yet.

Huette