Why sauerkraut is bitter: how to fix it, what to do

Content

1 Why is sauerkraut bitter?
2 Is it possible to eat sauerkraut with bitterness?
3 How to remove bitterness from sauerkraut
4 Recommendations for fermenting cabbage
5 Conclusion

Sauerkraut is a popular snack that many housewives make. After all, its preparation does not require heat treatment, which means that it retains most of the vitamins and mineral components. But if experienced housewives have no problems with the dish, then beginners may be unpleasantly surprised by the quality of the final product. Therefore, it is worth understanding why sauerkraut tastes bitter in some cases.

Sauerkraut is a source of beneficial components for human health during the cold season

Why is sauerkraut bitter?

There are several reasons why a snack may be bitter. They are associated with the process of preparing the product or with the wrong choice of the main ingredient. As a result, fermentation is less active, which negatively affects the quality of the final product.

The cabbage was not pierced

This is the most common mistake that provokes a bitter taste that novice housewives make when sauerkraut. Indeed, in the process of interaction of vegetable juice with salt, an acidic environment is formed.This leads to the release of gases during cabbage fermentation that cannot escape on their own. And if you don’t help them, the preparation becomes bitter.

To prevent this, it is necessary to pierce the vegetable mass with a wooden stick to the very bottom of the container throughout the entire fermentation process of sauerkraut. This will allow accumulated carbon dioxide to escape freely.

Excess or lack of salt

Both excess and lack of salt can cause a bitter taste. After all, this ingredient is the main one for sauerkraut. And when it comes into contact with vegetable juice, lactic acid is released to activate the fermentation process.

Lack of salt leads to the fact that a favorable environment for the proliferation of beneficial bacteria is not formed. And microorganisms appear that cause rotting and bitter taste.

This can be determined by the following signs:

gray shade of cabbage;
unpleasant odor;
soft structure of the vegetable;
the vegetable mass is covered with mucus.

Excess salt also causes sauerkraut to taste bitter. In this case, most of the lactic acid bacteria die, which first slows down and then stops the fermentation process. The problem can be identified by the absence of foam, which should appear at the initial stage of sauerkraut. As a result, the workpiece becomes bitter and its color becomes gray.

Important! A lack or excess of salt can be easily corrected if measures are taken in a timely manner.

According to the standard recipe, 10 kg of cabbage should require 200 g of salt during fermentation

Unsuitable variety

A bitter taste in a snack can also be caused by an unsuitable variety of vegetable. For pickling, you need to use cabbage of medium and late ripening with dense snow-white heads.Early varieties are not suitable as they have thin green leaves and do not contain enough sugar to activate the fermentation process. Therefore, when fermented, the appetizer becomes soft and its taste bitter.

The best varieties for pickling:

Snow White. Late-ripening cabbage hybrid. The growing season is 155-160 days. Valued for its high consumer qualities and stable yield. Forms heads weighing 3-5 kg. A variety for universal use.
Snow White retains consumer qualities for up to seven months if storage conditions are met.
Valentina F Hybrid is highly productive. Suitable for growing in various climatic zones. Forms flat-rounded heads weighing 3-5 kg. The outside of the forks are covered with dark green leaves with a bluish-gray bloom, which is a feature of this hybrid. In cross section the fruits are snow-white.
The growing season of Valentina F1 is 140-180 days
Moscow late. This late-ripening variety of Russian selection is ideal for pickling. The heads of cabbage grow dense, round, weighing 3.5-4 kg. In cross section they are snow-white. The crop reaches technical maturity 115-140 days after emergence.
The Moscow late variety shows low yield on sandy and marshy soils
Kharkov winter. A late-ripening crop variety that is suitable for private and industrial cultivation. Forms flattened-round heads of cabbage weighing up to 4 kg. The fruits are covered with silver-green leaves with a waxy coating. A variety for universal use.
The productivity of Kharkov winter is 11 kg per 1 sq. m
Belarusian. Medium-late ripening variety. It is highly resistant to low temperatures.The yield of Belarusian cabbage is 7-9 kg per 1 sq. m. Forms round heads of cabbage, characterized by a high level of density, weighing up to 4 kg.
The harvested Belorusskaya crop easily tolerates transportation without loss of commercial qualities

Accumulation of nitrates

The bitter taste of sauerkraut may be caused by the high nitrate content of the vegetable. This means that in the process of growing it, a large amount of nitrogen fertilizers was used. Moreover, excessive fertilizing was combined with insufficient watering. As a result, the taste of fresh, and subsequently sauerkraut, becomes bitter.

Delayed harvesting

Harvesting must be carried out within a clearly defined time frame. If you pick the heads of cabbage ahead of time, they do not have time to ripen and acquire a natural taste. This is also a common reason why sauerkraut tastes bitter.

Late varieties of the crop are characterized by a high content of glycosides. At high concentrations, they make the snack bitter. Before chopping, it is recommended to ripen the crop in a vegetable storehouse for two months after harvest. The longer cabbage sits, the less glycosides remain in it.

Important! Vegetables can also become bitter as a result of insufficient watering during the growing process.

Is it possible to eat sauerkraut with bitterness?

There is no pleasure in eating sauerkraut that tastes bitter. In addition, such a product has a negative effect on the digestive organs and can provoke an exacerbation of chronic diseases.

It is acceptable to use sauerkraut, if it is bitter, for preparing dishes that require heat treatment. The product can be added to cabbage soup, borscht, and used for stewing after pre-soaking in hot water.

How to remove bitterness from sauerkraut

Before attempting to improve the taste, if the product is bitter, you must ensure that the fermentation process is complete. Since many novice housewives ignore compliance with the timing and temperature conditions and try the snack prematurely.

You can determine the readiness of sauerkraut by the absence of foam and the translucent shade of the shredded vegetable.

But if all the requirements of the cooking process have been met, and the snack is bitter, then possible measures must be taken to correct the situation.

Bitter sauerkraut should not be washed with cold water, as this will cause it to spoil.

First of all, you need to put the workpiece on a plate and give it the opportunity to ventilate for several hours, periodically stirring the vegetable mass. If this measure does not bring the desired result, then you need to prepare a pickled appetizer from bitter sauerkraut.

Algorithm of actions:

Squeeze the juice from the preparation.
Add sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil to taste.
Add chopped onion into half rings.
Mix the vegetable mass thoroughly.
Place it in glass jars.
Close with lids.
Move to a dark place with a temperature of +15-18 °C.

Recommendations for fermenting cabbage

To prevent the taste of sauerkraut from being bitter, it is necessary to strictly follow the stages of its preparation.

Basic recommendations for sourdough:

Choose cabbage of medium and late varieties without signs of rot or mechanical damage.
Use table salt, not iodized salt.
Observe strictly the correct ratio of ingredients.
Do not add spices with a rich aroma and specific taste to the snack.
If bitterness is present in the vegetable initially, you need to first soak it in cold water for 5-6 hours, only then chop it.
You need to start fermenting no earlier than mid-autumn.
During fermentation, regularly pierce the vegetable mass with a wooden stick.
The brine should completely cover the vegetable mass.
Keep the product during the fermentation process at a temperature of +15-18 ° C, avoiding sudden changes.
The finished product should be placed in glass jars of 2 liters and 3 liters, stored in the basement or refrigerator.
To prevent mold, it is recommended to add horseradish leaves.

Conclusion

If sauerkraut is bitter, then mistakes were made when growing the vegetable or while preparing the snack. In this case, you can try to improve the taste and quality of the product. To avoid a similar problem in the future, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the stages of the technological process of fermentation and selection of variety.