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History
Choucroute is Alsace's German inheritance, sauerkraut that crossed the Rhine and settled into the region's kitchens centuries ago. The cabbage is salted, fermented and then slow-cooked in white wine, traditionally Riesling. The garnie version, weighed down with several cuts of pork and sausage, became the Sunday and feast-day centrepiece of the winstub. It is the dish most travellers come to Strasbourg to eat, and the city's taverns still build their reputations on it.
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Common allergens: Sulphites
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1.5kg raw sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- 300g smoked pork loin
- 400g salt pork belly
- 1 ham knuckle
- 4 Strasbourg sausages and 4 Montbeliard sausages
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoons goose or duck fat
- 400ml dry Riesling
- 10 juniper berries, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves
- 8 floury potatoes, peeled
Method
- Melt the goose fat in a large casserole and soften the onions over a low heat without colouring.
- Add the rinsed sauerkraut, juniper, cloves and bay, then pour in the Riesling and enough water to barely cover.
- Bury the smoked loin, salt pork and ham knuckle in the cabbage, cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours.
- Add the sausages and the potatoes for the final 30 minutes so they cook through in the steam.
- Slice the meats, pile the sauerkraut on a warm platter and arrange everything on top with the potatoes around the edge.
Tip from the editors. Rinse the sauerkraut only once so it keeps some bite and tang; over-washing leaves it flat.
Where to eat choucroute garnie
Choucroute garnie in Strasbourg
Maison Kammerzell ★ 4.2
Maison Kammerzell occupies a carved 1427 house on the cathedral square, a grand Alsatian brasserie known for choucroute aux trois poissons under vaults.
SignatureChoucroute aux trois poissons, Choucroute strasbourgeoise
Au Pont Corbeau ★ 4.4
Au Pont Corbeau is a family winstub on the Quai Saint-Nicolas beside the Musee Alsacien, serving choucroute garnie, presskopf and spaetzle from local produce.
SignatureChoucroute garnie, Presskopf
Le Tire-Bouchon ★ 4.2
Le Tire-Bouchon, a winstub a step from the cathedral, plates choucroute, bouchee a la reine and baeckeoffe daily in a warm, panelled Alsatian room.
SignatureChoucroute, Bouchee a la reine
Le Pfifferbriader ★ 4.4
Le Pfifferbriader, a winstub since 1933 near the cathedral, serves choucroute garnie, baeckeoffe and tarte flambee under stained glass and dark wood.
SignatureChoucroute garnie, Sandre, Tarte flambee
More cities are in research. Want choucroute garnie covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.