Puhoi Egerländer Dialect
Recipes Involving Cabbage
The recipes below are traditional Puhoi/Ohaupo recipes. Please note that there are two types of recipes depending on whether or not they use fermented cabbage. Fermented cabbage recipes are listed at the bottom.
1. Isabel Straka's Recipe for Cabbage "Kraut Brei"(Spelling uncertain)
| Cabbage sliced but not too thin | 1 or 2 onions sliced |
| 1 green apple | 2 or 3 tbsp sugar to taste |
| Vinegar to taste | Flour |
| Dripping (e.g. 2 to 6 tblsps) | Salt & pepper |
- Cook cabbage, onions, apple and sugar in a large saucepan. Use a whole cabbage for a family. If you have it, add a bit of bacon or a ham bone.
- Put some dripping in a small saucepan and melt it.
- Add flour to dripping and let simmer until it is a golden brown - keep it a nice light colour. Stir frequently. It should just start pulling away from the sides when it right. Do not let it go brown. We called this "arbrent" (spelling uncertain).
- Carefully add the flour and dripping mixture to the cooked cabbage etc.
- Let it boil a few minutes until it thickens.
- Serve with dumplings or on its own.
2. May Kernohan's Recipe for Sauerkraut with Dumplings and Arbrennts
May Kernohan, daughter and granddaughter of Joseph and Margaret Schischka and Lorenz and Rosalie Schischka. With permission from Lawrence and Rosalie Schischka, a Short History of their Descendants, compiled by Judith Williams.
Sauerkraut
| Cabbage | About ¼ cup vinegar (to taste) |
| 1 onion | Bacon hock or small piece of boiling bacon |
- Slice required amount of cabbage into small pieces.
- Place sliced onion, pinch of salt and vinegar in a saucepan.
- Nearly cover with water.
- Add bacon.
- Cook all until tender, removing bacon or hock and thickening with Arbrennts.
- Bring to boil, add dumplings and cook for exactly 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately, as dumplings are not so nice if kept.
Arbrennts ( for thickening sauerkraut)
| 2 tbspns butter or dripping | Flour to thicken |
- Add butter or dripping to separate pan and melt.
- Stir in sufficient flour to thicken, stirring all the time till smooth and brown, to prevent burning.
- Stir the mixture into the sauerkraut.
Dumplings
| 2 cups flour | 1 beaten egg |
| About ¾ cup milk | 1 good tspn baking powder |
| Pinch salt |
- Sift flour and baking powder.
- Mix ingredients as for scones.
- Cut into portions and place on top of boiling sauerkraut.
- Cook 20 minutes only.
- The dumplings should be a softish texture.
3. Annie Schischka's Sauakraut
Source: Judith William's Collection
Cover shredded cabbage in a saucepan with water, add a whole potato, a cut up onion and boil.
Arbrennts ( for thickening sauerkraut)
Make Arbrennts by melting dripping in a frypan and keep adding flour until it goes brown. Add to the cabbage with some vinegar, and eat with dumplings.
4. (Fermented) Sauakraut
Source: Judith William's Collection
Cut a cabbage up fine and put in an earthenware crock with salt and Kümm'l or caraway seed, ramming down each layer until liquid appears and the crock is filled. Cover with a clean cloth, a plate, a stone and a lid, removing scum when it forms, and stand in a cool place, eating 'when it looks nice'.
When using it in cooking, thicken with Aabrennts.
5. Mervyn Bayer's (Fermented) Sauakraut
Source: Judith William's Collection
I use a crock and leave it loosely packed for 2-3 days then weigh it down. Make sure the brine always covers the cabbage so that no air gets to it. I dispose of the first inch or so of cabbage when I take it out to eat and store it in an airtight plastic container in the fridge.
The Puhoi 150th Anniversary challenge...
To remember the simple Bohemian dialect greetings and to use them with your family.