My Greatgrandma's sour cabbage stew

Author Notes

I unfortunately do not remember Manyi, my Great-grandma on my maternal grand-father's side, as she died when I was less than two. But I have always been told how much she loved me. We used to live in a family house in Budapest (Hungary) and she spent countless hours looking after me as I was a baby.

Another constant in my family's recollections about her is how legendary a cook she was and especially how great she was when it came to the traditional tastes of her native Transylvania and her adoptive Hungary, both featuring some of Central Europe's most generous and hearty culinary traditions.

So today, I want to honour her memory by proposing this simple and sooo tasty specialty: the Székelykáposzta, or sour cabbage stew, a let-grandma-pack-you-a-little-food-for-the-way, oh-my-god-this-kid-is-not-well-fed, it-s-good-for-you-it-s-full-of-vitamine-C kind of food, par excellence.

During my countless bus trips from Budapest throughout Europe, I've always seen the excitment of people when opening those carefully sealed tupperwares given by the grandma before the trip. If Manyi had still been around, I am sure that mine would have contained székelykáposzta. And although I will never be a Central European grandma, my son will for sure have some of this stew in his backpack when he will start travelling on his own.

NOTE: when I say "sour cabbage", I mean a lacto-fermented cabbage that is typical in e.g. German (Sauerkraut), Hungarian (Savanyú káposzta) or Polish (Kapusta kiszona, I think) cuisine. Any deli selling products from these countries should have it. I know that kimchi is also based on lacto-fermented cabbage or that preserved cabbage also exists in China but whether these are the same, I don't know...

see e.g.: https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savany%C3%BA_k%C3%A1poszta#/media/F%C3%A1jl:Wesselburenkraut_19.06.2012_18-35-26.jpg —marxoign