'''ザワークラウト'''（Sauerkraut、'''ザウアークラウト'''とも）とは、北欧、東欧、ロシアなどでもよく食べられている。ビタミンCを含む保存食として、壊血病予防にレモンなどの果実やジュースと共に船の食糧としても利用された。　また漬ける際に、<!-- 昔は -->足で踏んでキャベツに含まれる水分を染み出させていたことから太い足<!-- 大根足？ -->を意味する隠語も存在する<!-- 世界大百科事典より。 太い足は大根足の事だと思うが、事典での表記のまま。 -->。

== 製法 ==
産地や各家庭において作り方はさまざまであるが、基本的にはキャベツを繊切りにし、塩水、香辛料とともにかめに入れて塩漬けにする。香辛料はディルシード、キャラウェイシードなどがよく使われる。また、塩とともに白ワインを加えて漬け込まれることも多い。　
== 食べ方 ==
thumb|200px|right|ザワークラウトの上に豚肉やソーセージを盛り付けた料理、シュラハトプラット（シュークルート・ガルニ）。右下にザワークラウトが見える
鯉などの川魚も良く用いられる。場合によってはカツレツ状に衣を着けて揚げてあり、またクリームソースをかけて食べることが多い。

フランスではシュークルートと呼ばれ、アルザス地方の料理とされており、果実味の強い白が特徴のアルザスワインを合わせて飲むことが多い。この場合ワイングラスの柄の部分は緑の装飾が入っており、場合によっては細い柄だけでなく親指大の太さの柄のグラスも見られる。またアルザスに限らずロワールなど他の地方でもシュークルートは良く用いられる。地中海沿岸ではシュークルート・ドゥ・ラ・メールchoucroute de la merと言って、海の魚介類を乗せた料理も見られる。

その他、油で炒めたり、スープ（ドイツ語でズッペSuppe）などの煮込み料理の材料としても用いられる。サンドイッチに挟むのもポピュラーな食べ方である。塩漬けした牛肉と共にパンにはさんだものはルーベンサンドといわれ、ニューヨークの名物料理の一つである。またホットドッグの付け合せとしても一般的である。

thumb|right|Sauerkraut and sausage served on a plate
thumb|right|Pickled [[Eisbein served with sauerkraut]]
thumb|right|Dutch sauerkraut mashed with potatoes in pan

'''Sauerkraut''' (English: , German: , Yiddish: ) is finely shredded fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including ''Leuconostoc'', ''Lactobacillus'', and ''Pediococcus''.<ref name="farnworth1"></ref><ref name="fao1"></ref>
It has a long shelf-life, and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage.

The word comes directly from the German and Czech food, but it can also a prominent feature of traditional cuisines of The Netherlands (''Zuurkool''), Estonia (''Hapukapsas'') and other Northern, Central and East European cuisines, such as the Northern parts of Italy - Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Trentino, Serbian, Croatian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian and Belarusian. Finally, it is no less popular in many parts of Northeast China, Northern China, the USA, Chile, and Canada.

==History==
Fermentation of cabbages in salt and acid liquids dates back to prehistoric times and probably was described first by Pliny the Elder during the first century AD.<ref name="farnworth1"/> Modern preparation techniques are thought to have been developed sometime between  AD1550 and 1750.<ref name="farnworth1"/> 

In his 1772 ''"Treatise on Scurvy"'', German seamen to withstand long sea voyages without succumbing to scurvy, compared to seamen from other countries, and pointed to their consumption of fermented cabbage as a defining difference.<ref name="steinkraus1"></ref>

In 1776, Captain James Cook was awarded the Copley Medal for demonstrating that sauerkraut could be used to allay scurvy in British crews on long sea voyages.<ref name="farnworth1"/>

==Preparation==

===Storage===
Traditionally, sauerkraut is prepared in a stoneware crock and the seal is created with a piece of wet linen cloth, a board, and a heavy stone. This arrangement is not fully airtight and will lead to spoiled sauerkraut unless the surface of the brine is skimmed daily to remove molds and other aerobic contaminants that grow on the surface where there is contact with air.

An alternative that avoids this problem is a type of ceramic jar that has a trough around its lid. When this trough is filled with water, the result is an airtight seal. 

Glass canning jars with clamped threadless lids may also be used effectively.

Commercial-scale sauerkraut production typically employs large airtight plastic barrels fitted with one-way valves for the gas to escape.

Whatever kind of vessel is used, it must allow the escape of fermentation gases.

===Fermentation===
thumb|right|''[[Choucroute garnie'', a  traditional dish of Alsace, where sauerkraut is garnished with sausages and other pork meats]]
Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called lacto-fermentation that is analogous to how traditional (not heat-treated) pickled cucumbers are made.
Fully-cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in an airtight container stored at or below 15°C (59°F). Neither refrigeration nor pasteurization is required, although these treatments may prolong storage life.  However, pasteurization will destroy all of the beneficial digestive enzymes and lactic acid bacteria, as well as the valuable vitamin C content, so it greatly diminishes the nutritional value without any significant benefit.

No special culture of lactic acid bacteria is needed because these bacteria already are present on raw cabbage. Yeasts also are present, and may yield soft sauerkraut of poor flavor when the fermentation temperature is too high. The fermentation process has three phases. In the first phase, anaerobic bacteria such as ''L. brevis'' and ''L. plantarum'' ferment any remaining sugars, further lowering the pH.<ref name="farnworth1"/><ref name="fao1"/> 

Salt (USDA recommends a greater amount of salt than is traditional, making the sauerkraut unpalatably salty unless rinsed before eating. Such rinsing removes much of the nutrient content and flavor. When traditional amounts of salt are used, temperature control is critical, because spoilage leading to food poisoning can occur if the fermentation temperature is too high. However, once made, sauerkraut is a very safe food because its high acidity prevents spoilage. USDA also recommends pasteurizing sauerkraut for storage. This is not necessary if the raw sauerkraut has been properly made and stored, and will needlessly diminish the nutritional value. A slimy or excessively soft texture, discoloration, or off-flavor may indicate spoilage.

==Serving==
Sauerkraut is a common and traditional ingredient in Austrian cuisine, Alsatian Northern and Eastern Europe, as well as in northern China. It also is eaten in the Friuli and Trentino Alto Adige regions of Italy, where it is called ''capuzi garbi'' and ''crauti'', respectively.

Sauerkraut may be eaten raw and unadorned; in this form it is often eaten as a relish with meat dishes, for example,
as condiment on bratwurst, weisswurst, or North American hot dogs.  Raw sauerkraut dressed with oil and onions is served as a salad, while warmed sauerkraut is commonly served also.

==Variations==
Variations include sauerkraut prepared from whole cabbages or leaves instead of shredded strips.  Sometimes other vegetables such as carrots are added. Spices may be added; caraway and juniper berries are traditional. In some variations, wine may be added. Red cabbage can be used to make a red sauerkraut. When sauerkraut is made from turnips or rutabagas, the product is called ''Sauerrüben''.

Sauerkraut has been a long-time staple in many European countries, e.g., the Netherlands, Russia, and Poland (raw as ''kiszona kapusta'' or in a dish as bigos), France (the popularity of the dish in Alsace has spread sauerkraut (''choucroute'' in French) to other regions of the country), Latvia (popularly known as ''skābi kāposti''), Estonia (known as ''hapukapsas'' and often prepared with cumin or cranberries), as well as in Lithuania (''rauginti kopūstai'').

Common ingredients in warm sauerkraut dishes (besides those already mentioned) are bacon, caraway seeds, and apples.

====Germany====
Sauerkraut has long been associated with German cuisine, although other Europeans consume a large amount of sauerkraut and it has long been a staple of their diets.

A popular German dish involves serving warmed sauerkraut with ''Schupfnudeln'' <!-- German nouns are capitalized --> (potato noodles, the German equivalent of gnocchi).

====Poland====
In Polish cooking, sauerkraut is known as kiszona kapusta. Preparations including sauerkraut include soups and stews, such as ''bigos'' and kapusniak (sauerkraut soup) or shchi ; filled dumplings (''pierogi''); and seasoned kapusta served as a hot vegetable side dish. 

====France====
In ham knuckle, and perhaps potatoes, all cooked together in goose fat. Typical accompaniment beverages are beer or white wine (Riesling).