Coleslaw

Today we describe a coleslaw as it is prepared in Bavaria and how we like it. The recipe is very straightforward and makes a very healthy salad that will keep for longer. Well covered, it can easily last four or five days in the fridge.

There are variations where the cabbage is doused with hot stock or heated marinade – we don’t do that. A little work with your hands is enough to get the best out of the cabbage and the other ingredients.

In Bavaria, coleslaw is a favourite accompaniment to roast pork, a traditional and ubiquitous dish for which we will shortly be presenting a special recipe. However, this salad is also ideal for the beer garden, as it withstands the sun and heat very well and brings a lot of freshness to the table.

You can find more recipes for the beer garden here.

A white cabbage rarely weighs much less than 1kg. A rather small cabbage is therefore sufficient for a good amount of coleslaw.

The first step is to remove the less attractive outer leaves.

Then the end with the stalk is cut off.

The cabbage can now be placed stably on this surface and first halved and then quartered with a large knife. Next, the hard stalk is generously removed diagonally from each quarter.

Now one quarter at a time is placed on a cutting surface where it is once again stable and the cabbage is cut into very fine strips 2 – 3 mm wide. They don’t all have to be long, you can turn the piece at any time and continue cutting from another angle if this is easier.

All the strips are placed in a large bowl and plenty of salt and sugar, caraway seeds, a little black pepper and a little medium-hot mustard are added.

Now comes the crucial part, which can only be done with your hands, there is no better tool. First, mix the strips of cabbage very thoroughly with the spices, especially the salt and sugar:

Then knead the cabbage very vigorously with your fingers by grabbing two handfuls of the strips at a time and pressing them together firmly. Some of them break in the process, which is intended. Gradually, with the help of salt and sugar, more and more liquid is released, the cabbage becomes softer and the volume in the bowl decreases.

In Bavaria, coleslaw almost always contains bacon. If you don’t want that, leave it out. Everyone else dices bacon into small pieces of 3 – 4 mm. Any rind is removed beforehand. These bacon cubes are slowly fried in a pan over a medium heat so that the fat is released first and the cubes then brown gently. However, they should not become crispy.

Now vinegar, oil and the bacon are poured over the cabbage together with the fat from the pan and everything is thoroughly mixed again.

The coleslaw should now steep for at least four hours and be stirred well again before eating, as liquid will settle to the bottom. It tastes best if you have prepared it the day before.

Enjoy.

And may the taste be with you.

Ingredients (for 8 – 10 portions):

1 small white cabbage (approx. 1 kg)

3 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

3 tsp caraway seeds

5 tbsp light-coloured vinegar (e.g. white wine vinegar)

5 tbsp neutral vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed oil)

Finely ground black pepper to taste

2 tsp medium-hot mustard (e.g. Dijon mustard)

80 g bacon