The Hawaiian gazette., 1870-02-02
CLAWS.

SOUR KRoUT.-EverybOdy has heard of sourkrout
which, with his lager and his vrow shares the affec
4 ton of every son of a Duichman, but it is quite
probable that many Of the readers of the TrdUele1
do not know Just what il is, while thousands have
never seen il or know how it is made II was the
fortune good or bad-of the writer to live few
months, in the days of early wandering life in a
kroutoying section Of that State which eau boast
its five great staple products iron, COAL cOalile
cabbages and corrupt politicians. An of cab
hages for home USE is no uncommon sight in that
State and the stranger who is unacquaiuted with
the stowage capacity of the Dutch-built craft and
the brain-making qualities developed in Pennsyva-
mia cahbages wonders and wonders how one family
can dispose Of such quantity. The mystery is
solved by word, and that word is kTom What
ii is how il is made, how cooked, and how ate we
will tell; what it is like can only be known TO those
who have eaten OF the odoriferous food To begin
WITH il should be understood that krout is not slaw
The latter is the former Just what the black dia-
mOnd which We call coal is to the purest the choice
est of natures gems. Slaw is simply cabbage cut
up fine in vinegar, though there TWO kinds, the
"cOdslaw and the " hotsaw, " the last named diff
fering from the other in having been heated sufi
cienly TO wilt and soften. But krout it savors
and lis odors TO no outside aid.
The work OF preparation for making krout involve
the providing of an open stoutly-hOOped barrel,
good deal more than water tight-krOut being far
more penetrating than water-a score of good sized
cabbages basin of salt, and two Ouch girls of aver
size and weight Acabbage is cut into thin strips
and slices and thrown into the barrel along with
spoonful of salt Then ofthe girls, with feet and
legs Dared Tor the occasion, and no superabundance
Of skirts to interfere with the work. gets into the
barrel and begins to stamp upon the cabbage. When
she gets tired her companion relieves her and thus
they work-turn and turn about. This is the ortho-
dox method Innovalors dispense with the girls,
and do the down pressing with wooden stamper
Tastes differ to which method is best, but girls
prefer the The reader is at liberty 10 judge
for himself which he would prefer
When the cabbage has been slowly pressed into a
solid, compact mass, and the juice which it has
yielded almost it, the barrel is ready for an
other portion of sliced cabbage, which is disposed of
in the same way The twenty heads will fill the bar
rel. circular piece of board nearly as large the
top of the barrel is put top, and this heavy
stone or iron weight. pressing it down that the
liquor rises and covers the mass. Here mans work
is d"ne-nature does the rest
Nature works powerfully in the manufacture Ofsour
kruut chemical change takes place; and within
ten days develops pungent odor In twenty days
the odur is more pungent. In time 1t becomes most
pungent This pungency is added TO by keeping II
i'm a warm place.
The civilized way of eating krout is with boiled
pork and mashed potatoes. There is a natural aiui-
ty between krout and pork fat. The man who is
violently fond of cabbage will like krOut at the age
ten days. He is educated to tolerate il at the age
of twenty or thirty days, and If he can keep II cool
that it never grows older will soon like it better than
cabbage. Here our experience ends.
This is the season for krout- making All over Penn
sylvana the cabhages, like the chickens of New En-
gland, are yielding their forms to the knife. The
rich juices will be working next week. and before
Christmas the kitchens of every Dutehman in the
State will yield steamy odoTs. that in the DAYS of
mythology would have been most uuwelcome to the
gods of either realm.