From the bottom of the pot, sour cabbage turns sweet
The moment you open a bag of sauerkraut, it is quite sour. The pork looks plain, and the barley looks less like a star than a humble grain. But render the pork fat in a heavy pot, layer in the cabbage and barley, and drop the heat to low, and the smell of the kitchen slowly changes. The sourness of the lactic fermentation rounds off, the barley that has taken up the pork fat swells and softens, and in the end you have a winter plate that catches white potatoes.
Mulgikapsad (Mulgikapsad / Mulgi kapsad) is a stew of sauerkraut, pork and barley tied to the Mulgi region of southern Estonia. In material from the Estonian Folk Culture Centre it is described as a dish in which pork fat and meat, fermented cabbage and grain are braised for a long time in a pot or the oven. Visit Estonia also introduces mulgikapsad as "stewed sauerkraut with barley groats and pork" and treats it as part of the food culture of the Mulgi region.
The hard part of making it at home is not an unusual seasoning. It is three things: don't wash out all the sourness of the sauerkraut, put a little browning on the pork, and don't leave the barley as hard grains. It piles up less meat and mushrooms than Poland's bigos (in Japanese), and doesn't lean toward just meat and cabbage like Norway's fårikål (in Japanese). What makes mulgikapsad Estonian is the way the barley takes up the liquid in the pot.
Mulgikapsad is written here as "mulgikapsad." Mulgi is the Mulgi region of southern Estonia, and kapsad is often introduced as the word for cabbage; in English-speaking countries it is described as Estonian sauerkraut with pork and barley.
What to keep in this dish
Looking only at the ingredient list, mulgikapsad is "a stew of sauerkraut and pork." But following the local information, even with household variation the outline is quite clear.
| What to keep | Why | How to bring it down to a home kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Fermented cabbage | The sourness and the scent of a preserved food are the core of the dish | Use store-bought sauerkraut and rinse half of it only if the sourness is strong |
| Pork fat | Keeps the cabbage and barley from being monotonous | Use pork belly or shoulder and render the fat first |
| Barley | Sets this dish apart from a plain cabbage stew | Use pearl barley, rolled barley or hulled barley, rinsed first |
| A long braise | Rounds off the sourness and makes the meat and barley one | Low heat for 70 minutes or more, keeping a little liquid at the bottom |
| Potatoes | A staple that catches the saltiness and sourness | Boil in a separate pot and eat by mashing them together on the plate |
If you wash all the sauerkraut, it stops being a fermented cabbage dish and becomes a thin cabbage stew. If, on the contrary, you put in all the liquid from the jar or bag, it may taste too sour for a weeknight dinner. For the first time, "rinse only half, lightly" is the most dependable.
Ingredients (serves 4)
This amount is for four as a main dish. With potatoes and dark bread alongside the table comes together, and a little is left for the next day.
This recipe uses pork and barley. Barley is a grain that contains gluten, as wheat does. The salt in sauerkraut varies greatly by product, so don't add too much salt at the start of cooking, and adjust at the end.
What is worth looking for when shopping
Pork, onion and potatoes are covered by an ordinary supermarket. What is worth looking for at specialty shops or online: whole spices that are easy to reuse, a heavy pot that avoids scorching, and a thermometer to check doneness of the pork and when reheating.
Allspice is not essential. It stands up with just black pepper and bay leaf. But if you make several Baltic and Central European stews, a small amount of the whole spice goes into svíčková (in Japanese) and bigos (in Japanese) too.
Because mulgikapsad is a stew with little liquid, a thin pot scorches on the bottom easily. A heavy pot is not essential, but it pays off if you make more dishes that simmer long over low heat.
When the pork is late in the stew, or when reheating the next day, it can be hard to tell from looks whether the center is hot. A thermometer isn't needed every time, but if you often make dishes with chunks of meat, having one removes doubt.
Method
It is a layered stew, but if you mix everything together from the start, the barley sets at the bottom and the aroma of the pork weakens. Rinse the barley, render the pork fat, layer the cabbage. In this order, it comes together naturally in the pot.
Where it goes wrong and how to recover
Mulgikapsad is not a showy dish, so when it fails it shows up as "sour," "watery" or "hard barley." Rather than adding ingredients, it is easier to fix by returning the heat and moisture.
| State | Cause | How to recover |
|---|---|---|
| Too sour | Used all the sauerkraut as it was | Serve more boiled potatoes. Next time rinse half |
| Watery | Water covered the ingredients | Take off the lid and reduce 10 minutes over medium-low |
| Barley is hard | Not soaked enough, heat too low | Add 80 ml water and cook 15 more minutes over low heat |
| Burnt bottom | Thin pot, heat too high, not stirred | Don't mix in the burnt layer; move only the top into another pot |
| Turns into just cabbage stew | Not enough browning and fat from the pork | Fry a little bacon in a separate pot, return it with its fat and cook 10 minutes |
Trying to erase the sourness of sauerkraut with sugar alone tastes unnatural. Think in this order and the flavor wanders less: let potatoes and dark bread take it, round it with the pork fat, and take off the corners with long cooking.
Storage and reheating
In introductions to Estonian cooking and local home-cooking blogs, mulgikapsad is described as a dish that comes together even more when reheated the next day. The barley soaks up the liquid, so it firms up after refrigeration. Adding a little water when reheating brings it back without scorching.
| Storage method | Time | Reheating |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 3 days | Add 2 tbsp water to a pot and heat 8 to 10 minutes over low |
| Freezer | 3 weeks | Freeze in portions. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat in a pot |
| Packed lunch | Not recommended | Sour and salty, but the liquid is plentiful and easily migrates into rice |
| Potatoes | Same day | Store separately. Freezing tends to ruin the texture |
To reheat in a microwave, put a single portion in a heatproof dish, sprinkle with 2 tsp water, cover loosely with plastic wrap and heat at 600 W for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Heat until steam rises from the center, stirring once partway.
Connecting it to the table
To lean Estonian, potatoes, dark bread and a little sour cream are enough. On a day you want more meat, a grilled sausage alongside makes the table stronger. But mulgikapsad itself already has pork in it, so for the first time it is easier to understand by tasting the stew's sourness and barley.
Read as a northern European cabbage dish, compare it with fårikål (in Japanese), in which lamb and cabbage are stewed quietly, and in mulgikapsad the sourness of the fermented cabbage and the weight of the barley come forward. To take sour cabbage toward a richer meat dish, bigos (in Japanese); toward a sweet-sour cabbage side, Germany's Bavarian kraut (bayrisch Kraut) (in Japanese) is a close read.
To broaden the table toward the Nordic, making the fish soup lohikeitto (in Japanese) on another day shows how dairy and potatoes are used. If you are interested in rye and thin crusts, Finland's Karelian pies (karjalanpiirakka) (in Japanese) are also a good internal link. And going on to a rich staple of potatoes and fermented dairy, Slovakia's bryndzové halušky (in Japanese) can sit beside it.
Local character and substitutes
To get closer to the old local way of making it, the axes are a fatty cut of pork, strongly fermented cabbage, grain kernels, and a long braise. The Estonian Folk Culture Centre's description also includes a household method of layering pork, fermented cabbage and grain and heating slowly with the heat of the oven or hearth.
At home you need not assume a hearth or a large oven pot. What matters is not "just simmer it on low," but "leave a little liquid on the bottom of the pot, and don't let the cabbage swim in the liquid." If there is a lot of liquid, the flavor thins before the barley can take it up, and only the sourness floats.
The way of thinking about substitutes is as follows.
| Local-leaning | Easy to use at home | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| hapukapsas, fermented cabbage | Store-bought sauerkraut | Vinegar-style products are sharply sour, so rinse half |
| kruubid, barley grains | Hulled barley, rolled barley, pearl barley | Rolled barley cooks quickly, so watch for it falling apart |
| Fatty pork | Pork belly block, shoulder | Thin scraps dry out easily. If using them, shorten the stewing time |
| Dark bread | Rye bread, whole wheat bread | A sour bread suits better than sweet white bread |
| Residual heat of hearth or oven | Low heat in a heavy pot | Set the lid slightly ajar to let moisture escape |
Frequently asked questions
Can I make it with ordinary cabbage instead of sauerkraut?
You can, but it has much less of the character of mulgikapsad. If you make it with ordinary cabbage only, rather than adding 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt at the end, it is more natural to mix in even just 200 g of sauerkraut.
Can I make it with rolled barley?
Yes. Rolled barley softens faster than hulled barley, so 10 minutes' soaking is enough. Plan on 60 minutes of stewing and check partway that the grains haven't broken down too much.
Can I make it without pork?
There are meatless home versions in the local cooking too, but it will be different from the taste of this article. If you leave out the meat, cook the onion in 2 tbsp oil and add 150 g mushrooms to make up the savoriness. Serving it with sour cream makes it easier to eat.
Are caraway and allspice essential?
Not essential. Local sources also vary by household, and there are examples made with just salt, sugar and pepper. The first time, bay leaf and black pepper alone are fine. Caraway lightens the aroma of the cabbage, and just 2 allspice berries add a warm fragrance.
How do I serve it to family members who dislike sourness?
Rinse half the sauerkraut and serve more potatoes. Rather than increasing the sugar at the finish, putting 1 tsp sour cream on top makes the sourness feel rounder. If you make the stew itself too sweet, the good of the fermented cabbage disappears.
Sources
- Eesti Rahvakultuuri Keskus "Mulgi kapsaste valmistamine ja söömine Mulgimaal"
- Eesti Rahvakultuuri Keskus "Mulgi toit"
- Visit Estonia "Mulgimaa"
- Estonian Cuisine. Eesti Toit. "Estonian Style Sauerkraut with Pork and Barley. Mulgikapsad"
- Orkla B2B "Põltsamaa Cabbage of Mulgi 520g x 6"
