What Is Sauerkraut? Definition, Meaning & Taste

At its simplest, sauerkraut is cabbage preserved by lacto-fermentation. You shred the cabbage, mix it with salt, and pack it tightly into a jar or crock. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage cells to create a natural brine, and that salty, oxygen-free liquid becomes the perfect home for a family of beneficial microbes called lactic acid bacteria (species like Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus).

These bacteria feed on the natural sugars in the cabbage and produce lactic acid as a by-product. The acid steadily lowers the pH, souring the cabbage, driving out spoilage organisms, and preserving it for months. Nothing is added to make it sour — the tang is created entirely by the living culture. That’s the key thing that separates real sauerkraut from a quick pickle: the sourness comes from fermentation, not from a splash of vinegar.

Sauerkraut is a German word meaning “sour cabbage.” Sauer means sour and Kraut means cabbage or leafy greens — so the name is a plain description of the finished food: cabbage that has been made sour.

Despite the German name, souring cabbage in salt is an ancient, worldwide idea rather than a German invention. Fermented cabbage was reportedly eaten by labourers building the Great Wall of China over 2,000 years ago, and versions of the practice spread west across Europe over the centuries. The German term simply became the name that stuck in English.

The process is refreshingly low-tech — no special equipment or starter culture required, because the bacteria already live on the cabbage leaves.

1. 1
   Shred the cabbage Slice a head of green cabbage into thin ribbons and place it in a large bowl. Thin, even shreds pack down well and release liquid quickly.
2. 2
   Add salt Weigh the cabbage and add salt at roughly 2% of that weight. Massage and squeeze the cabbage for a few minutes until it wilts and releases its juice.
3. 3
   Pack it down Press the salted cabbage tightly into a clean jar or crock so the brine rises up and covers it. Every shred must stay submerged under the liquid.
4. 4
   Weigh it under the brine Use a fermentation weight or a small water-filled bag to keep the cabbage below the surface. Exposure to air is where mould and spoilage start.
5. 5
   Ferment and taste Leave it at room temperature, loosely covered, and taste every few days. When it reaches a sourness you like, seal it and move it to the fridge.

Two numbers do most of the work in a sauerkraut batch: how much salt you add, and how long you let it ferment. Get the salt in range and time simply becomes a matter of taste.

Salt is what keeps the whole thing safe. At around 2% of the cabbage’s weight it slows spoilage microbes while letting the salt-tolerant lactic acid bacteria thrive. Too little salt risks mushy, off kraut; too much stalls the good bacteria. Because sauerkraut is salted by weight of the vegetable itself — not as a percentage of added water — a scale is far more reliable than a measuring spoon.

Good sauerkraut is crisp, salty, and cleanly sour — a bright, tangy bite closer to plain yogurt or a mild dill pickle than to raw vinegar. Fresh cabbage flavour stays underneath the acidity, and the texture should hold a satisfying crunch rather than going soft.

Flavour deepens with time. A few days in, it’s mildly tart; after a few weeks it’s noticeably more sour and complex. The longer, cooler ferment favoured in traditional recipes builds the layered, mellow tang that bright store-bought kraut often lacks.

Raw, unpasteurised sauerkraut is one of the easiest fermented foods to make and one of the most nutritious.

One important caveat: heat destroys the live cultures. Canned, jarred-shelf-stable, or cooked sauerkraut still provides fibre and vitamins but far fewer live probiotics. For the gut-health benefits, look for raw, refrigerated, unpasteurised kraut — or make your own.

It’s an easy mix-up because both are shredded cabbage — but they’re opposites in how they’re made. Coleslaw is fresh; sauerkraut is fermented.

Coleslaw is a raw salad: shredded cabbage tossed with a dressing of mayonnaise or vinaigrette and eaten straight away. Its tang comes from whatever you pour on it. Sauerkraut is left to culture for days or weeks, and its sourness is produced from within by bacteria. Coleslaw won’t keep; properly fermented sauerkraut lasts for months and carries live probiotics that a fresh slaw never will.

Sauerkraut and kimchi are close cousins — both are lacto-fermented cabbage made by the same basic salt-and-time process. The difference is flavour and seasoning, not the underlying science.

Sauerkraut is the European style: plain green cabbage and salt, producing a clean, straightforward sour taste. Kimchi is Korean and is built for bold flavour — typically napa cabbage and radish seasoned with chilli, garlic, ginger, and often fish sauce or salted shrimp. That makes kimchi spicier, funkier, and more pungent, while sauerkraut stays crisp and simply sour. If you can ferment one, you can ferment the other.

For a full side-by-side of ingredients, taste, salt, ferment time and probiotics, see sauerkraut vs kimchi. Want to go deeper on kimchi? See our guide on kimchi explained. If you’re pregnant, check our guide on is sauerkraut safe during pregnancy. For more common questions, see our sauerkraut FAQ.