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Sour cabbage head on a blue plate, a pitcher of kraut juice and a white plate with sauerkraut leaves on it, on a marble background.

Fermented Cabbage Heads and Kraut Juice (Kiseli Kupus i Rasol)

Aida
Easy traditional Balkan method for fermenting whole cabbage heads. Known as kiseli kupus, this pickled delicacy, and its juice (rasol) is incredibly tasty.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 1 hour
Fermenting Time 40 days
Total Time 40 days 1 hour
Course Appetizers & Preserves, Salad
Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Kosovo, Macedonian, Montenegro, Serbian, Slovenian

Equipment

  • One 14-16 gallon (50-60 liter) barrel, or plastic bucket, or a container with a lid. Two 7-8 gallons also work.
  • Weights or a heavy object. Anything will do. Plastic bottles filled with water, weights, a big, cleaned rock (or a few), or a similar heavy, waterproof object.

Ingredients
 
 

  • 60-65 pounds green cabbage heads for scale, one cabbage head is usually about 2 pounds (1kg)
  • 1-2 pounds salt substitute with sea salt
  • water tap if clean, filtered, or bottled (non-carbonated) water
  • (Optional) one corn on a cob
  • (Optional) 2-3 handfuls of peppercorn or mustard seed

Instructions
 

Prepare the Cabbage

  • Take a cabbage head, and check that it's fresh, recently harvested, and sturdy. Remove three or four outer leaves, and check further that there are no dark spots on the cabbage, and/ or other damage. (If there are and they're small, cut them out. If they're large and deep, discard them, and start working on another cabbage head.)
  • Carefully cut out the root, avoiding cutting too much of the actual cabbage head, and also avoiding cutting through to the other side of the cabbage. An easy way to do this is to make a ‘pentagon’ or ‘hexagon’ around the root with the knife. At first, make shallow cuts in the shape of a pentagon, and as you circle around, stab the pentagon a little bit deeper each time. At some point, it’ll get easier and easier to cut around until you’ll be able to easily pull out the root with your hand. Fill the root hole generously with salt. Push the salt in with your fingers and add more if possible.
  • Repeat the previous steps for all cabbage heads.

Find a Fermenting Spot

  • The cabbage will be fermenting for at least 6 weeks (about 40 days), and it's important to find a good fermenting spot. This type of fermentation requires cool or cold temperatures (not freezing though!), and shade or dark. Additionally, a good spot will have a stream of air coming through frequently, or some type of a draft, due to the strong fermenting whiff. Think the shed, basement, storage with windows or air supply, garage, or shaded balcony.
  • Transfer your barrel to the fermenting spot while it's empty, and fill it with ingredients on the spot.

Assemble the Cabbage

  • Transfer the cabbage heads into the barrel. (Sides with the holes and salt should be up.) Freely apply some pressure as you are pushing them together, and place in as many as they'll fit. Cabbage should be positioned extremely tightly together. (You can even quarter a few cabbage heads to put in the smaller empty spaces.) At this point, add any additional optional ingredients.
  • Place your weight(s) on top of the cabbage. At this point fill the barrel up with water until it reaches 1-2 inches (2-4 centimeters) above the cabbage. Fasten the lid well. Let it rest for 2-4 days.

Add More Water and Wait

  • About 2-4 days later, open the barrel. The cabbage will have absorbed some of the water, and its level will be lower than before. Refill the water so that it's once again at about 1-2 inches (2-4 centimeters) above the cabbage. Fasten the lid and let it rest for 6 weeks or about 40 days.

(Optional Step)

  • We don't do this step, and are proud to say that our cabbage has turned out great almost always. You're welcome to do it, but keep it to the minimum!
  • Some people check the cabbage before the 40 days is up to see whether it has fermented. Others like to add a little more water here and there. The most important advice is to always return the weight(s) on the cabbage and to close the lid well.

Open the Barrel

  • After about 6 weeks (40 days), open the barrel. Remove the weight(s), and take out a cabbage head to see whether it's fermented. Remove one or two outer leaves and then taste it.
  • Cabbage that's fermented well should taste tangy, salty, and crunchy. (The saltiness is usually the best-determining factor.) In looks, it should be translucent, almost like plastic, and just slightly yellow. The kraut juice (rasol) should be the color of lemonade. (If you added corn on the cob, it'll be a bit more yellow.) Check below for signs it has gone bad.*
  • If it's not there yet, return it to the barrel, put the weight(s) on top, close the lid, and let it ferment for a few more days to a couple of more weeks.

Handling

  • Taking out of the barrel: when ready to use fermented cabbage, take the lid off the barrel, remove heavy objects, and take out however many cabbage heads as you'll need. Transfer them to a deep bowl immediately as they'll be dripping with kraut juice (rasol). Also, take as much kraut juice as you need as well, or use whatever drips out of the cabbage heads (they hold a lot of it). Transfer the juice to a bottle and keep it in the fridge. After you're done taking what you need out of the barrel, return the weight(s) on top, and fasten the lid.
  • Serving and/ or using fermented cabbage for a dish: before you use sour cabbage, taste it. If it's too salty for your taste, wash it out under lukewarm water. Remove outer 1-2 leaves, and use the rest for your chosen dish.
  • If you have leftover fermented cabbage, place it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Kiseli kupus smell packs a punch, so be warned!
  • Freezing fermented cabbage: freeze whole heads (if you have a big freezer) in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. However, if you plan to use sour cabbage for salads only, shred or grate a desired amount, put them in the freezer bags, and transfer them to the freezer for up to 6 months. Finally, if freezing to use in sour cabbage rolls (sarma), freeze whole leaves. Simply remove leaves from a cabbage head, stack them in piles of 5-10, and then roll the stacks up. Place rolls in a freezer bag. Transfer to the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • Thawing fermented cabbage: a few hours before you plan to use it, take it out and let it thaw at room temperature. Use it for the recipe. Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or a freezer bag.

Notes

  • Bad Cabbage:
Signs that the cabbage has gone bad: mushiness, an overly yellow hue, and a rotting smell.
If this happens to one head of cabbage, check the rest of them, as it usually affects all of them rather quickly. If this is the case, dispose of them and make a new batch (if you'd like).
  • Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information was omitted for this recipe as serving sizes and options vary greatly. 
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