Sunny Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut has always been an interest. Many of my pioneering relatives arrived by sailing ships to South Australia and then trekked overland to become Outback Queensland pioneers. These were difficult times on the sailing ships and many died, particularly the children. Casks of sauerkraut were essential for survival on these ships. My great grandfather, George Hofmeister, married into a sailing ship immigrant family, the Stackelroths. The passenger list for the 'COROMANDEL' that arrived in South Australia 12-01-1837 carried the name: "STACHELROTH, Frederick born c1810 Germany miner & laborer."
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| Sailing ship arriving Adelaide 1860 |
One report of these times states:
The 'COROMANDEL', under the command of Captain William Chesser, left Blackwall Dock, London 1st Sept. 1836, bound for Adelaide, South Australia. She dropped down the River to Gravesend on Tuesday afternoon and officially set sail on Thursday, and reached Deal in Kent on September 9th 1836. She had trouble clearing the Goodwin Sands. (there freezing cold waters that conceal treacherous sands, which were nicknamed "the graveyard of ships"). The COROMANDEL reached the Cape of Good Hope on November 5th, Stayed and took on freshwater, fruit and vegetables. Captain Chesser gave the passengers time to improve their health with good food and water before he set sail again on November 28th.
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George Hofmeister |
In Northern Australia I never found anybody fermenting cabbage to make sauerkraut. Now that I ferment cabbage to make sauerkraut, I know why. The fermentation process requires the casks with the cabbage and salt be held at approximately 60 F degrees for at least four weeks. The warm climate of Queensland did not provide such a temperature resource.
This recipe enhances the basic sauerkraut with additives that I use for hot dogs. Many basic hot dog recipes add sauerkraut, chopped onions and chopped peppers. This recipe combines the sauerkraut with chopped onions, chopped peppers, mango marinade and lime juice. I named the combination "Sunny Sauerkraut."
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Sunny Sauerkraut |
Ingredients
2 cups of chopped onions
2 cups of chopped peppers - (green, red, orange, and yellow peppers are combined)
One quart of sauerkraut
Half cup of mango marinade
Half cup of lime juice
Half teaspoons of salt and pepper.
One teaspoon of Mrs. Dash tomato, basil and garlic seasoning.
Select a dutch oven, place a half cup of olive oil in the dutch oven. place the onions and peppers in the dutch oven and sauté the mixture for five minutes while mixing well. Then add the sauerkraut and other ingredients. Gently boil the mixture for about five minutes.
Bottle in one-quart or one pint bottles. Given the acid content of the mixture, the bottle contents will keep very well.
Mango marinade is an excellent all-purpose marinade. For me, it provides a tropical taste, which is the reason I use the term "Sunny" to describe the sauerkraut. The web will provide a number of recipes to make your own mango marinade. I use the mango marinade made by World Harbors. I did not want a marinade that would overwhelm the sauerkraut taste.
Hot Dogs and Sunny Sauerkraut
The First Step: Select your hot dogs and rolls
I prefer the 7-inch Nathan beef franks. These are too long for the typical hot dog roll. The roll I prefer is the bigger hogie roll and preferably the whole wheat version.
The Second Step: Place the hot dogs on the roll
The Third Step: Add the Sunny Sauerkraut
Add one cup of Sunny Sauerkraut on each half roll and cover the two hot dogs on each half roll.
The Fourth Step: Add the cheese
Add a half cup of shredded cheese of your choice to each roll. I prefer moderate cheddar cheese.
The Fifth Step: Preheat the oven to 300 F and bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes the cheese should be melted and blended with the sauerkraut. For hearty eaters serve the bun with the two hot dogs. For others cut the bun in half cross ways and serve two persons. We have found that mashed Queensland blue squash (Australian pumpkin), and mint peas make excellent additions to the hot dogs.
A Mariners' Museum document on Captain Cook noted:
One of Cook’s most important discoveries during his voyages was actually about food. Cook realized that there were certain foods that, if eaten, prevented the disease called scurvy. Scurvy, we know today, is caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. Scurvy was common among sailors, because most vitamin C comes from fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables were very difficult to keep fresh during long sea voyages in the days before refrigeration. So, sailors before Cook’s time ate a diet that was mostly dried, hard bread known as hard tack, and dried, salted meat.
Cook took two major steps to change the diet of his crew. First, every time the ships stopped anywhere that grew fresh fruit and vegetables, he bought some to feed to the crew. However, because there were sometimes weeks between stops, and fruit and vegetables would rot in that time, he had to have another plan. He knew that sauerkraut, which is pickled cabbage, had been shown to prevent scurvy. Sauerkraut, because it is pickled, can be kept in jars, and will not go bad. Cook brought a lot of sauerkraut on his voyage – but the crew didn’t want to eat it at first.
Captain Cook played a very interesting trick on his crew. When he realized that the men were refusing to eat the sauerkraut, he took it away from them. He said only the officers could eat it, and only put it out on the officers’ tables. Telling the crew they couldn’t have it made them want it more – so they started eating it!
Cook’s crew was out to sea for a longer period of time than any sailors before them. And yet, not one of Cook’s sailors died of scurvy. This means that Cook proved that certain foods could prevent scurvy, and smart sea captains after him followed his example and took sauerkraut, fruit, and vegetables on their voyages.
This sauerkraut has come a long way from the basic survival food of the early pioneers on sailing ships.
Approximately one hundred years before my pioneering relatives landed in South Australia, Captain James Cook visited the east coast of Australia.
Life at Sea During the Age of Captain Cook
A Lesson from History
A Mariners' Museum document on Captain Cook noted:
One of Cook’s most important discoveries during his voyages was actually about food. Cook realized that there were certain foods that, if eaten, prevented the disease called scurvy. Scurvy, we know today, is caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. Scurvy was common among sailors, because most vitamin C comes from fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables were very difficult to keep fresh during long sea voyages in the days before refrigeration. So, sailors before Cook’s time ate a diet that was mostly dried, hard bread known as hard tack, and dried, salted meat.
Cook took two major steps to change the diet of his crew. First, every time the ships stopped anywhere that grew fresh fruit and vegetables, he bought some to feed to the crew. However, because there were sometimes weeks between stops, and fruit and vegetables would rot in that time, he had to have another plan. He knew that sauerkraut, which is pickled cabbage, had been shown to prevent scurvy. Sauerkraut, because it is pickled, can be kept in jars, and will not go bad. Cook brought a lot of sauerkraut on his voyage – but the crew didn’t want to eat it at first.
Captain Cook played a very interesting trick on his crew. When he realized that the men were refusing to eat the sauerkraut, he took it away from them. He said only the officers could eat it, and only put it out on the officers’ tables. Telling the crew they couldn’t have it made them want it more – so they started eating it!
Cook’s crew was out to sea for a longer period of time than any sailors before them. And yet, not one of Cook’s sailors died of scurvy. This means that Cook proved that certain foods could prevent scurvy, and smart sea captains after him followed his example and took sauerkraut, fruit, and vegetables on their voyages.
