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In Danish, My Mom Called This Rødkål
Growing up, my mom would serve red cabbage with a lot of our meals especially when she served pork. Pork roasts, pork chops, leftover pork with potatoes and onions. Didn’t matter, there was always a serving of red cabbage on the side.
Fortunately for me, I liked the taste of the sweet and tart flavors of her red cabbage but now that I think back, I don’t remember my mom ever making red cabbage from scratch. As far back as I can remember, it always came from a jar.
Where she purchased these jars of red cabbage is a mystery to me. My recollection is the labels were in Danish so either she shopped at Scandinavian store near us (doubtful), she brought it back with her from her many trips to Denmark or she purchased an American brand of red cabbage.
Making Your Own Red Cabbage
I thought it would be fun to prepare my own Danish red cabbage and found this recipe in Trina Hahnemann’s The Scandinavian Cookbook. Chef Trina is a well know Danish chef and food writer and was nice enough to do an interview with me. See Interview with Trina Hahnemann.
What I didn’t know about red cabbage is how red currant jelly is used to help give it its dark red coloring. In looking at other recipes for Danish red cabbage, I noticed a lot of them included apples but this one doesn’t and I’m not sure why. It seems to me the apples help give the dish some of its tartness. I’ll make them optional.
Chef Trina’s recipe also calls for duck fat, an item that is not always easy to find in your local supermarket. I substituted butter but I’m sure the duck fat version is incredible.
📖 Recipe
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Danish Red Cabbage Recipe
Just like my mor made it at home.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time2 hours hrs
Total Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Danish
Keyword: red cabbage
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- ¼ cup duck fat
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium head cabbage
- 1 yellow onion
- ¾ cup red wine
- ½ cup superfine sugar
- ¼ cup red current jelly
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 whole cloves
- 2 tablespoons apple grated, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage, wash and core the head. Slice the head in half from top to bottom. Laying each half down on a cutting board, slice the cabbage in big thick slices or finely cut thin slices.
Really depends on how you like your red cabbage.
Preheat a large pan, big enough to hold all the cabbage, add duck fat or butter and when it’s good and hot, add the cabbage.
Cook over medium to medium-high heat until the cabbage gets shiny but not browned.
Add the onion, red wine, sugar, red currant jelly, vinegar, cinnamon stick, and cloves to the pan.
Season with some salt and pepper.
If you are using optional apples, now’s the time to add them.
Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for approximately 2 hours until the cabbage is “dark purple and shiny.”
Remove the onion, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and if needed, some additional sugar. You want it to be a little sweet, but not too much.
Notes
You can serve this right away with the rest of your meal but it really does get better when served the following day. Historically, this is a traditional Danish side dish served with stuffed loin of pork or goose on Christmas Day.
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I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…
Reader Interactions
Comments
Thank You
This is by far the most traditional recipe I've seen, very much like my mother's recipe! She is almost 90 and was telling me the steps, thank you for refreshing our memory. Have a wonderful New Year!
Great recipe
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FAQs
In Danish, the dish is called rødkål, and might be hard for non-Danish speakers to pronounce. Red cabbage was introduced as a Christmas dish in the 1800s and is said to have been a result of a period of nationalism in Denmark, historically referred to as 'national romanticism'.
Can you cook red cabbage the same as regular cabbage? ›
Red and green cabbage can be used interchangeably in most recipes. The difference between cooking green cabbage and red cabbage is just one extra step. The compounds that give red cabbage its color, called anthocyanins, are water-soluble and will turn an unappetizing blue color when cooked.
What's the difference between radicchio and red cabbage? ›
Often mistaken for each other in the grocery store, Chioggia radicchio and red cabbage are actually two different plants. Radicchio has a strong bitter taste with thinner and less waxy leaves than cabbage. Red cabbage has a milder taste and thicker, crunchier leaves with a more uniform purple color.
Why does red cabbage turn blue? ›
The compounds that give fruits and vegetables their red color are very sensitive to acidity. As long as they are acidic they stay red, but when they become non-acidic they turn blue. When you sauté red cabbage, the acids evaporate off and it can turn blue.
What is the nickname for red cabbage? ›
It is also known as purple cabbage, red kraut or blue kraut after preparation. The leaves of the red cabbage have a dark red/purple color.
What do we call red cabbage in English? ›
Purple cabbage, also referred to as red cabbage, belongs to the Brassica genus of plants. This group includes nutrient-dense vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale. It tastes similar to green cabbage.
What is the healthiest way to eat red cabbage? ›
A lot of its frumpy reputation comes from it being over-pickled or boiled for an eon. Although it's a sturdy vegetable it's not invincible… Go raw. Lock in nutrients by eating your cabbage uncooked in salads.
Is red cabbage healthier than green cabbage? ›
But red cabbage has higher levels of some types of antioxidants than other types of cabbage. These nutrients are thought to help reduce the risk of health conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Red cabbage is particularly rich in anthocyanins, which are a type of flavonoid.
Can I just boil red cabbage? ›
Red cabbage can also be boiled. To preserve the crunch, cook in salted boiling water with a teaspoon of vinegar for 5 minutes unless a softer consistency is desired in which case cook for a little longer.
Why is red cabbage so expensive? ›
Generally, cabbage needs a lot of water to grow and if there's not enough it can't reach reach its full bloom. Thus, this leads to a shortage of cabbage, leading its prices to go up. Cabbage is a crop that grows best during specific times, making it challenging for farmers.
Being rich in compounds like sulforaphane and anthocyanins, red cabbage is certainly one vegetable to add to your diet. These beneficial compounds appear to prevent oxidative damage and possibly act in protective way against cancer, including colorectal cancer.
Is red cabbage healthier than lettuce? ›
Which should you choose? If you're looking for the healthier option of the two, choose cabbage. Lettuce varieties such as red leaf lettuce and romaine are also good options. Cabbage, including green and red cabbage, is typically higher in vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds than iceberg lettuce.
How can you tell if red cabbage has gone bad? ›
You may also notice a strange or off smell if red cabbage is spoiling. Red cabbage should feel firm and robust, but if it starts to feel slimy or overly soft, it's likely past its prime. In any of these cases, it's best to discard the cabbage. Always store red cabbage in the fridge.
What goes well with red cabbage? ›
What goes well with red cabbage?
- Meat: Red cabbage goes well with meats such as pork, bacon, ham, and sausage. ...
- Apples: Red cabbage and apples are a classic pairing. ...
- Onions: Red cabbage and onions are a great combination, the onion adds a nice sweetness and a little bit of sharpness to the cabbage.
Red cabbage react with basic or acidic solutions, that is a very good PH test, blue indicate that your meal is quite alkaline. Are you adding baking soda to your cabbage ? That will explain everything. Add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar, to make it red again !
What is the hardest Danish word to pronounce? ›
Rødovre & Hvidovre. Of the many many MANY difficult Danish words to pronounce that were mentioned, Rødovre get's the first prize as being the most mentioned and Hvidovre as the runner up. One suggested that pronouncing Rødovre as 'Rollover' did the trick sometimes!
What is the Slavic word for cabbage? ›
The Russian word kapustnik refers to cabbage: in the 18th century, kapustniki referred to "harvesting and processing cabbage at the invitation of one's neighbors".
What is the difference between Rotkohl and Blaukraut? ›
In Northern Germany, where I'm from, red cabbage is called Rotkohl. In Central and Western Germany it is called Rotkraut. And in Southern Germany it is called Blaukohl or Blaukraut, which translate to blue cabbage.
What is the meaning of Blaukraut? ›
red cabbage. Synonym. Rotkohl. (Translation of Blaukraut from the GLOBAL German–English Dictionary © 2018 K Dictionaries Ltd)
I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…