Crauti

This piece of Germanic culinary culture has infiltrated the Northern border regions of Alto Adige, Friuli, and the Veneto, and has been adopted because it perfectly suits the local pork dishes, which are also in all likelihood echoes of Austrian invasions. A platter of boiled mixed pork delicacies like smoked loin, belly, sausages and cotechino, accompanied by crauti makes a wonderful peasant dish.

There are a few good brands of ready-made crauti in jars, but if you like making it yourself, as many families do, here is how. Trim a flat white cabbage of the tougher outer leaves, then shred the rest very finely. Layer the shredded cabbage with salt in a wooden or ceramic container and put a large weight on top. After a few days, the cabbage will start to ferment, a process which will take about 4 weeks, after which the crauti is ready to use. Before use, rinse the crauti with fresh water and cook with the addition of some juniper berries, caraway seeds, a little white wine and some lard. After an hour or so the crauti is ready.