Posted on 11/14/2005 9:34:46 AM PST by Red Badger
Sauerkraut, the dish adored in Germany but much maligned in Britain, could prove to be a secret weapon against the threat of bird flu, experts revealed yesterday.
Scientists believe that the traditional recipe, which is made from chopped cabbage that is fermented for at least a month, contains a bacteria that may combat the potentially fatal disease.
Their findings follow a study in which kimchi - a spicy cabbage dish popular in South Korea and similar to sauerkraut - was fed to 13 chickens infected with bird flu. Just one week later, 11 of the birds showed signs of recovery from the virus.
"The feed has been shown to help improve the fight against bird flu or other types of flu viruses," said Prof Kang Sa-ouk, who led the research at Seoul National University, yesterday.
Prof Kang's team claims that lactobacillus, the lactic acid bacteria created during the fermenting process, is the active ingredient that could combat bird flu.
Health experts have already agreed that there may be some truth to kimchi's curative properties, prompting an increase in the consumption of the dish in South Korea.
Sales of sauerkraut in the United States have also soared as a result of the research, and now Britain is starting to catch on. Last night, importers of the dish to Britain said that sales were rising and they were increasing stocks in the expectation that demand could escalate.
Geoff Hale, the commercial manager for Euro Food Brands, said: "Sales are very buoyant at the moment. We bring in about half-a-million jars of sauerkraut to Britain from Germany every year and that number is definitely going up."
Sales of sauerkraut were up 20 per cent on this time last year at Sainsbury's, according to a spokesman for the supermarket.
Whether or not sauerkraut does cure bird flu, the dish is said to have a number of other health benefits, among them cancer-fighting and detoxifying properties.
It is also a rich source of vitamins.
One serving, which contains only 32 calories and has four grams of fibre, provides 102 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K, 12 per cent of iron and 35 per cent of vitamin C.
Prof Richard Mithen, from the Institute of Food Research, in Norwich, said: "Eating kimchi or sauerkraut may be good for your health and help fight off infections.
"I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to stock up on sauerkraut specifically to fight off bird flu, but it may help your immune system."
A further study on sauerkraut, carried out recently by Polish and American scientists, concluded that the meal might be the reason for the lower breast cancer rate observed among Polish immigrants in America.
I'm doomed! Doomed, I say!
Me too. No sauerkraut for me.
Hot dog relish ought to do the same trick as sauerkraut.
Now, relish, I can stand.
Pickling is not the same as fermentation. In pickling the change is caused by an acidic brine, while fermentation is done by microbes. Most pickled foods are best not eaten in large quantities; use them for garnishes.
That would be my suspicion, too, given that cultures all around the world pickle veggies and meats but only specific groups (Chinese and Japanese) seem to have the elevated cancer rates. Perhaps it is the type of vegetable, perhaps it is the soil in which they're grown, perhaps it is a modern preparation method versus the traditional, perhaps there is a cofactor, maybe a vitamin deficiency, perhaps a genetic trait. This suggests to me that 1) there is a need for more research, and 2) that there's no need for me to panic or stop eating fermented veggies.
I make a brined pickle, the salt limits the types of microbes present. The bacteria make lactic acid which does the 'pickling'. But I agree, most commercial 'pickling' is done with acetic acid (vinegar) and is definately not the same as a ferment.
You have got to be from Pittsburgh or at least Polish.
That's one of my wife's favorite dishes and she is both.
How about sweet and sour red cabbage? I made some for my wife last week and she loved it.
That BBC article is a load of flim-flam. First, unprocessed sea salt will not cause stomach cancer, but a lack of salt could lead to severe indigestion which could lead to cancer. Second, the cancer rates they mentioned are miniscule by western standards.
Question. How does a (lacto)bacillus protect against a virua? I'll eat more cabbage, fresh or sauerkraut.
She's right -- it is a preserved food, but it's not preserved with chemicals. Instead it's preserved by the acids (lactic acid, I think) produced by the lactobaccilus bacteria as they metabolize the sugars in the cabbage. This is totally different from the chemical preservatives found in most foods today. In fact, a lot of health food enthusiasts who would never eat a bite of modern processed food swear by kraut and kimchi and all the other traditional fermented foods. I was introduced to kimchi and kraut recently and really enjoy them both.
The preparation is identical. Spicing it up is a local preference.
Particularly the stuff you get from a street vending machine in Nederland. Gad.
:) Wrong on both counts. Born and raised, went to school, church etc in New Jersey at the shore. Maternal grandparents were from Germany. We had the Traditional Pork and Sauerkraut, Mashed potatoes on New Year's Day. Married 46 years and have never had anything else except that to ring in the New Year. :)
Southern tradition is black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.
The idea is that things can only get better.
I usually work them into the pork and kraut dinner. :)
The bacterium turns on a 'switch' in your immune system that is called a cytokine, that is named IFN a. IFN a acts as a messenger to Interleukin I and VI, and they stimulate T cells, B cells, and NK cells.
yum. I've never made it but have bought it in the jar. Great with roast beef!
Yes, I know Blackeye Peas are a southern choice for NY Day but we had a friend from Pennsylvania and they grew up with the same tradition. Pork and Sauerkraut with a side dish of the peas. :) Fun to learn other people's traditions and what they all mean.
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