La choucroute nouvelle est arrivée

Cabbage harvest (©Der Sonntag/PC)

... was the title of an article in today's Sunday paper Der Sonntag announcing the beginning of the cabbage harvest in nearby Alsace around Krautergersheim (Nomen est omen). 

Well, the new coleslaw needs a little fermentation before being served in November as la choucroute nouvelle.

Apparently, the following comic by the British James Gillray, dating from the times of Napoleon, convinced the world that the Germans were the Krauts. Although my fellow countrymen/women and I all like sour-krout, the heartland of sauerkraut is the Alsace.

Germans eating sour-krout

The French in Alsace developed a whole culture around their choucroute. They prepare it with Silvaner and Riesling wine, Crémant d'Alsace or even Champagne and serve it with all kinds of meat and fish although la Choucroute aux trois poissons ist gewöhnungsbedürftig (takes getting used to). Red Baron prefers la Choucroute royale served below with gratin instead of boiled potatoes and downed with a local Kronenbourg beer:

Eating choucroute (©Joe Beez/Wikipedia)

But there is more. A typical choucrouterie Alsatian serves la Choucroute formidable with ten kinds of meat.

And what would you call this? La Choucroute royale (©L'Alsace)

There is more: la Choucroute Merguez for the people from North Africa, la Choucroute rouge somewhat sweeter than the rest, and la Choucroute juive prepared cachère (kosher) with goose grease, calf knackwurst, and pickled beef.

As I said before, it is not yet the season for eating choucroute, so presently, Red Baron sticks to gebratene Pfifferlinge (chanterelles sautées) here served with Rührei (scrambled eggs) and Bratkartoffeln (chips):

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