Sauerkraut (Skābēti kāposti)

Sauerkraut (skābēti kāposti) – something that has recently become a health food obsession, yet has been so common in Latvian kitchens for centuries. I have fond memories of the sauerkraut my grandparents prepared every September; a huge wooden shredder came out of the attic, and the family spent the day cutting up cabbage, grating carrots, sprinkling on salt, caraway seeds and on occasion cranberries, and squeezing the life (and juice) out of it all. The mixture was then covered with cabbage leaves, a heavy rock – always the same one – was placed on top, and the fermentation process was begun.