1 dish, 5 addresses: where to eat good Alsatian sauerkraut?
Looking for a good traditional sauerkraut? Here are five places to (re)discover this typically Alsatian dish.
Sauerkraut is a famous dish, emblematic of Alsatian culture. However, fermented cabbage actually has its origins in a rather distant country: China. It was there, at the start of the construction of the famous Great Wall of China (3ᵉ century BC) that the idea was born. At the time, the construction site was fairly isolated, with no villages or food nearby. It was therefore necessary to find a preservation technique to bring food to the workers, hence the idea of macerating cabbage with salt. As conquests progressed, the Huns, Tartars and Mongols brought the recipe westwards, notably to Germany, before making it a specialty accompanied by fish and then sausages.
Today, the meat offered to accompany a fine sauerkraut varies between northern and southern Alsace, but restaurateurs all agree on the basis of this typical dish: fermented cabbage, finely and delicately cut. The vegetable is then served with Montbéliard or Strasbourg sausage, smoked bacon, sometimes black pudding or even liver dumplings. If you don't have the courage to prepare one at home, here are five good places to devour a good sauerkraut, in Alsace or Paris.
Au Pont Corbeau, Strasbourg
Au Pont Corbeau (1 toque) is the ideal address for discovering Alsace through taste. Alongside onion and bacon tart, presskopf (Alsatian head cheese) and calf's head vinaigrette, the menu proudly features the famous choucroute garnie. A great way to warm up in a warm, cosy and relaxed atmosphere.
- Where to eat? Au Pont Corbeau, 31 quai Saint-Nicolas, 67000 Strasbourg
- www.aupontcorbeau.fr
Le Fer Rouge, Colmar
If you're looking for a typical Alsatian restaurant where you can discover the region's traditional dishes, Le Fer Rouge is the place for you. In this half-timbered building in Colmar, you'll enjoy classics such as pâté en croûte, entrecôte de veau and spaetzle.entrecôte de veau et spaetzles, and of course the chef's sauerkraut with smoked bacon, salted bacon, Alsatian sausage and pork neck.
- Where to eat? Le Fer Rouge, 52 Grande Rue, 68000 Colmar
- www.leferrouge.alsace
La Coupole, Paris
If you're in Paris and crave Alsatian sauerkraut, La Coupole (1 toque) is the place to go! Dating back to 1927, this historic brasserie with its art deco style offers fine seafood platters, as well as a fine menu of traditional French dishes, including onion soup, poultry fricassee with morel mushrooms and four different choucroutes: strasbourgeoise with white sausage and smoked brisket; de La Coupole with pork shank, loin and sausage; but also a choucroute de la mer with haddock, salmon and langoustine, followed by a choucroute royale de la mer. The hardest part will be choosing!
- Where to eat? La Coupole, 102 boulevard de Montparnasse, 75014 Paris
- www.lacoupole-paris.com
Le Saint-Sépulcre, Strasbourg
You'll be hard pressed to find a more authentic place to eat traditional sauerkraut than this Strasbourg winstub. Other dishes typical of the region are also on the menu, such as calf's head with gribiche sauce, Munster cheese au gratin with ham and sautéed potatoes, and onion tart with farmhouse bacon.
- Where to eat Le Saint-Sépulcre, 15 rue des Orfèvres, 67000 Strasbourg
- www.saintsepulcre.fr
Wistub Brenner, Colmar
Papi Lucien" onion tart, breaded Munster salad, Melfort-braised pork shank, calf's head with two sauces and of courser Daniel's Wistub sauerkraut... No typical Alsatian dish escapes the menu at Wistub Brenner, Colmar's most famous winstub. The little extra? The charm of this house and its vast terrace, ideal for basking in the sun while visiting Little Venice.
- Where to eat? Wistub Brenner, 1 rue Turenne, 68000 Colmar
- www.wistub-brenner.fr
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