Cabbage would seem to check a lot of boxes for in Western food circles. It's nutritious and inexpensive. . Colorful. Climate-hardy. Fermentable.
So why does it still struggle for respect?
鈥淚t's about how you cook it. People tend to overcook it, not letting it express all its potential,鈥� says Alissa Timoshkina, whose new cookbook, 鈥淜apusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe,鈥� celebrates cabbage as one of the backbones of the region's cooking. ("Kapusta" means cabbage in many Slavic languages.)
The other mainstays, she says, are beetroot, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms; each gets a chapter, along with dumplings and 鈥� and ferments."
Although cabbage has sometimes conjured up images of poverty and bleakness (Timoshkina mentions 鈥�1984鈥� and 鈥淐harlie and the Chocolate Factory鈥� as two famous examples), she sees it winning wider recognition in a kind of East-West culinary meeting of the minds.
鈥淭here's a natural crossover,鈥� she says, given today's and simple, healthy ingredients. In Eastern Europe, 鈥渢here's almost a sacred reverence鈥� for these foods, 鈥渨hereas in the West, it's coming from a different place: awareness of your responsibility for climate change, sustainability. People are starting to think about how we eat differently.鈥�
Take the current interest in fermentation, for example.
鈥淚 love the fact that I鈥檓 not just catering to a trend, but it鈥檚 actually talking about a culture and a tradition centuries and centuries back,鈥� says Timoshkina.
She notes that cabbage also has a magical quality in folklore 鈥� the legends that children grew in cabbage patches, or that cabbages could increase fertility.
What they're eating in various countries and ethnic groups
Timoshkina, who was born in Siberia in a Ukrainian-Jewish family, moved to England as a teenager and became a food writer, cook and historian. Her previous cookbook, 鈥淪alt and Time,鈥� featured recipes from Siberia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
There are various ways to define Eastern Europe, she notes. She follows the U.N.'s definition, which includes 10 countries, and she includes even more ethnic groups. She generally avoids referring to Russia, however, because of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. For its part, has a large role in the book.
The recipes in 鈥淜apusta鈥� range from savory pies ("Patatnik," for example, a Bulgarian potato pie) to cold-weather stews (such as Ashkenazi 鈥淭zimmes鈥� with carrots, beef and prunes) to summery dishes ("Chlodnik," a cold borscht with kefir). They go from basic ("Classic Sauerkraut") to more adventurous (鈥淭aratuta," a Ukrainian beetroot, gherkin and horseradish salad).
Also typical of the region's cooking, she says, are paprika, coriander, caraway, fennel, dill and pepper. And lots of sour cream.
Dumplings and stuffed cabbage
Timoshkina considers dumplings the ultimate comfort food, though she acknowledges they take some time to prepare.
鈥淚t's probably something you do on a weekend and then you'd make a big batch,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou can store it , and you always have yourself a lovely, comforting meal.鈥� Dumpling recipes here include 鈥淧olish Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushrooms" and 鈥淯dmurt Dumplings with Beetroot and Raspberry."
And then there are They're called go艂a台bki in Poland, halupki in Czechia and Slovakia, sz谩rma in Hungary and sarmale in Moldova, to name just some, she writes.
Here too, make a big batch and freeze them.
鈥淚t's an iconic dish that people from every region of Eastern Europe have their own version of,鈥� says Timoshkina. 鈥淓veryone claims them as their own.鈥�
Julia Rubin, The Associated Press
