Sauerkraut, directly translated from german: "sour herb" or "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage. It is therefore not to be confused with coleslaw, which receives its acidic taste from vinegar.

Producing sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is made by a process of pickling called lacto-fermentation that is analogous to how traditional (not heat-treated) pickled cucumbers and kimchi are made. Fully-cured sauerkraut keeps for several months in an airtight container stored at or below 15 °C (59 °F). Neither refrigeration nor pasteurization is required, although these treatments may prolong storage life.

Fermentation by Lactobacilli is introduced naturally, as these air-borne bacteria culture on raw cabbage leaves where they grow. Yeasts also are present, and may yield soft sauerkraut of poor flavor when the fermentation temperature is too high. The fermentation process has three phases. In the first phase, anaerobic bacteria such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter lead the fermentation, and begin producing an acidic environment that favours later bacteria. The second phase starts as the acid levels become too high for many bacteria, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides and other Leuconostoc spp. take dominance. In the third phase, various Lactobacillus species including L. brevis and L. plantarum ferment any remaining sugars, further lowering the pH.

Health benefits

Sauerkraut (including liquid)

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	78 kJ (19 kcal)
Carbohydrates	4.3 g
Sugars	1.8 g
Dietary fibre	2.9 g
Fat	0.14 g
Protein	0.9 g
Water	92 g
Vitamin B6	0.13 mg (10%)
Vitamin C	15 mg (25%)
Iron	1.5 mg (12%)
Sodium	661 mg (29%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database

Raw sauerkraut is very healthy. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, lactobacilli, and other nutrients. However, the low pH and abundance of otherwise healthful lactobacilli may upset the intestines of people who are not used to eating acidic foods. Studies suggest that fermented cabbage may be even more beneficial to health than the raw vegetable, with increased levels of anti-cancer agents such as isothiocyanates.^{[citation needed]}

Before frozen foods and the importation of foods from the Southern hemisphere became readily available in northern and central Europe, sauerkraut provided a vital source of the aforementioned nutrients during the winter. Captain James Cook always took a store of sauerkraut on his sea voyages, since experience had taught him that it was an effective preventative of scurvy. German sailors continued this practice even after the British Royal Navy had switched to limes, earning the British sailor the nickname "Limey" while his German counterpart became known as a "Kraut".

It is now known that the preservation of sauerkraut in an anaerobic environment (in the brine) keeps the vitamin C in it from being oxidized.^{[clarification needed]} There is some evidence that indicates that kimchi, and by extension sauerkraut^{[citation needed]}, may be used to treat avian influenza in birds. Currently, there is no evidence of its effect on human cases.

Sauerkraut is also a source of biogenic amines such as tyramine, which may cause adverse reactions in sensitive people. It also provides various cancer-fighting compounds including isothiocyanate and sulphoraphane.

Similar foods

There are many other vegetables that are preserved by a similar process.

• Korean kimchi
• Japanese tsukemono
• Chinese suan cai
• Filipino atchara

Also a feed for cattle, silage, is made the same way.

External links

• Korean dish "may cure bird flu"
• Wild Fermentation recipe for making sauerkraut
• The Sauerkraut Fermentation described here
• Fermenting food since before H. sapiens appeared

ABOUT BRATWURST

A bratwurst is a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef.

The name is German, derived from Old High German brätwurst, from brät-, which is finely chopped meat and -wurst, or sausage.^{[citation needed]} Though the brat in bratwurst describes the way the sausages are made, it is often misconstrued to be derived from the German verb "braten", which means to pan fry or roast. Bratwurst are usually grilled and sometimes cooked in broth or beer.

Eating practices and traditions

Germany

How the sausage is served varies by region. In Thuringia, it is often eaten with hot German mustard in a bread roll or Brötchen. There and further south, the bratwurst is often served "pinched" in a bread roll, much like a forerunner of the American hot dog in a bun. It is a very popular form of fast food in German-speaking countries, often cooked and sold from small stands and street vendors. Recipes for the sausage can also vary; some sources list over forty different varieties of German bratwurst.

A giant wurst-and-bun statue can be found at the main intersection of Holzhausen, the location of the German Bratwurst Museum (Deutsches Bratwurstmuseum). The museum, run by the Friends of Thuringian Bratwurst, opened in 2006 and is devoted only to the Thuringian sausage.

The oldest document in the museum mentions bratwurst for the first time in 1404 in Thuringia. In 1410 followed the County of Katzenelnbogen.

Regional variations

Coburger Bratwurst

Bratwurst originating in the city of Coburg in Bavaria. It is made from a minimum of 15% veal or beef, and its seasonings include only salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest. It is coarse in texture and measures about 25 cm in length. Traditionally it is grilled over pinecones and served in a bread roll (Brötchen).

Fränkische Bratwurst

A relatively long (10–20 cm), thick, coarse sausage, originating from the Franconia (Franken) region. It dates back to 1573. The Fränkische Bratwurst is traditionally served with sauerkraut or potato salad, but with no mustard.

Kulmbacher Bratwurst

The Kulmbacher Bratwurst, from the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria, is made mainly from finely ground veal. It is long and thin.

Nürnberger Rostbratwurst

A small, thin bratwurst from the city of Nürnberg. It is no longer than 7–9 cm and weighs no more than 25 g. It is traditionally grilled over a beechwood fire and served in sets of 6 or 12 with horseradish and sauerkraut or potato salad. Perhaps the most popular sausage in Germany, Nürnberger Bratwürste / Nürnberger Rostbratwürste is also protected under EU law with PGI status. Traditionally roasted and served three abreast on a bun with mustard, this pork-based wurst is recognized in markets and restaurants across Germany. Fresh marjoram and ground caraway seed are attributed to being among the important ingredients in this distinctive sausage.

Nordhessische Bratwurst

The Nordhessische Bratwurst (from Northern Hessen) is similar to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst in taste. It is made from coarsely ground pork and is heavily seasoned. It measures around 20 cm in length. Traditionally, it is grilled over a wood fire and served on a cut-open roll with mustard.

Rote Wurst

The Rote Wurst is a favorite Bratwurst of the Swabian region. It is similar to the Bockwurst, and is made from finely ground pork and bacon. Its taste is spicy. To prevent splitting during grilling or pan frying, an X is cut into the ends of the sausage. The ends open during cooking, but the rest of the sausage remains intact, giving it its traditional shape.

Thüringer Rostbratwurst

The Thüringer Rostbratwurst is a spicy sausage from Thüringen. It is the oldest known Bratwurst in Germany and dates back to 1404. It is long (15–20 cm) and thin in shape. Traditionally, it is grilled over a charcoal fire and eaten with mustard and bread.

Würzburger Bratwurst

The Würzburger Bratwurst, also known as the Winzerbratwurst, comes from the city of Würzburg. Its size is similar to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst, but its ingredients include white Franken-Wine.

In the United States

Bratwurst is a common type of sausage in the United States, especially in the state of Wisconsin, where the largest ancestry group is German. Originally brought to North America by German immigrants, it is a common sight at summer cookouts, alongside the famous hot dog. It is also the origin of the "beer brat", a regional favorite where the bratwurst are poached in beer (generally a combination of a pilsner style, with butter and onions) prior to grilling over charcoal.

The bratwurst was popularized in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin in the 1920s. In general, each local butcher shop would take orders and hand make bratwurst fresh to be picked up on a particular day. The fat content of the sausages was substantial, making daily pick up necessary to avoid spoilage. Much of the fat was removed during the cooking over charcoal. Usually one kept a pan of cold water handy to the grill, so it was easy to dip one's fingers in and fling the water onto the flames caused by the burning of the excess fat.

The bratwurst (or "brat") also became popular as a mainstay of sports stadiums after Bill Sperling introduced bratwurst to Major League Baseball in Milwaukee County Stadium in 1953. The bratwurst were such a hit, Sperling said, that Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers took a case back to New York, and the rest is history. Currently Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the only baseball stadium that sells more bratwurst than hot dogs.

External links

• Bratwurst recipes

Beer in Germany is a major part of German culture. There are around 1,300 breweries in Germany, second largest amount after the United States which has 1,500. The German beer market is sheltered from the rest of the world beer market by the German brewers' adherence to the Reinheitsgebot ("purity order") dating from 1516 (and recently updated in the Vorläufiges Biergesetz of 1993), according to which the only allowed ingredients of beer are water, hops and barley-malt. This law also requires that beers not using only barley-malt (such as wheat and rye) must be top-fermented.

The Germans are behind only the Czechs and the Irish in their per capita consumption of beer.

Reinheitsgebot

The Reinheitsgebot (literally "purity order"), sometimes called the "German Beer Purity Law" or the "Bavarian Purity Law" in English, is a regulation concerning the production of beer in Germany. In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley, and hops. After its discovery, yeast became the fourth legal ingredient. For top-fermenting beers the use of sugar is also permitted.

There is a dispute as to where the Reinheitsgebot originated. Some Bavarians point out that the law originated in the city of Ingolstadt in the duchy of Bavaria on 23 April 1516, although first put forward in 1487, concerning standards for the sale and composition of beer. Thuringians point to a document which states the ingredients of beer as water, hops and barley only, and was written in 1434 in Weißensee (Thuringia). It was discovered in the medieval Runneburg near Erfurt in 1999. Before its official repeal in 1987, it was the oldest food quality regulation in the world.

Terminology

There are a variety of names used to describe German beers, such as:

Wheat beers (warm fermented)

• Weizen/weizenbier or weißbier/weissbier are the standard names in Germany for wheat beer - "weizen" is German for "wheat", and "weisse" is German for "white". The terms are used interchangeably, and there is no agreement as to which is the older term.
• Weizenbock is the name for a strong beer or bock made with wheat. 16-17° Plato, 6.5-8% ABV.
• Roggenbier — a fairly dark beer made with rye, somewhat grainy flavour similar to bread, 4.5-6% ABV.
• Berliner Weisse — a pale, very sour, wheat beer brewed in Berlin. Usually drunk with the addition of fruit syrup. 9° Plato, 2.5-5% ABV.
• Leipziger Gose — an amber, very sour, wheat beer with an addition of salt brewed around Leipzig. It disappeared between 1966 and 1985, when it was revived by Lothar Goldhahn. 10-12° Plato, 4-5% ABV.
• Hefeweizen is the term for an unfiltered wheat beer - hefe is German for yeast.
• Kristallweizen is the term for filtered wheat beer.

Pale beers

• Kölsch — pale, light-bodied, beer which can only legally be brewed in the Cologne region. 11-12° Plato, 4.5-5% ABV.
• Helles — a pale lager from Bavaria of 11-12° Plato, 4.5-5% ABV
• Pilsener — a pale lager with a light body and a more prominent hop character. 11-12° Plato, 4.5-5% ABV. By far the most popular style, with around two thirds of the market.
• Altbier — a dark amber, hoppy beer brewed around Düsseldorf and Lower Rhine. 11-12° Plato, 4.5-5% ABV.
• Export — a pale lager brewed around Dortmund that is fuller, maltier and less hoppy than Pilsner. 12-12.5° Plato, 5-5.5% ABV. Germany's most popular style in the 1950s and 1960s, it's becoming increasingly rare.
• Spezial — a pale, full, bitter-sweet and delicately hopped lager. 13-13.5° Plato, 5.5-5.7% ABV.
• Bock — an amber, heavy-bodied, bitter-sweet lager. 16-17° Plato, 6.5-7% ABV.
• Maibock — a pale, strong lager brewed in the Spring. 16-17° Plato, 6.5-7% ABV.
  • Doppelbock — a very strong, very full-bodied lager darkened by high-coloured malts. 18-28° Plato, 8-12% ABV.
• Eisbock — a freeze distilled variation of Doppelbock. 18-28° Plato, 9-15% ABV.
• Märzen — medium body, malty lagers that come in pale, amber and dark varieties. 13-14° Plato, 5.2-6% ABV. The type of beer traditionally served at the Munich Oktoberfest.

Dark beers

• Schwarzbier — a bottom-fermented, dark lager beer with a full, roasty, chocolatey flavor. 11-12° Plato, 4.5-5% ABV.
• Dunkel — dark lager which comes in two main varieties: the sweetish, malty Munich style and the drier, hoppy Franconian style
• Dunkler Bock — a strong, full-bodied lager darkened by high-coloured malts. 16-17° Plato, 6.5-7% ABV.
• Rauchbier — usually dark in color and smoky in taste from the use of smoked malt. A speciality of the Bamberg region. 12-13° Plato, 5-5.5% ABV

Filtering

• Kellerbiers are unfiltered lagers which are conditioned in a similar manner to cask ales. Strength and colour will vary, though in the Franconia region where these cask conditioned lagers are still popular, the strength will tend to be 5% abv or slightly higher, and the colour will tend to be a deep amber, but the defining characteristic is the cask conditioning. Kellerbier is German for "cellar beer".

• Zwickelbier was originally a sample amount of beer taken by a brewery boss from the barrel with a help of a special pipe called a "Zwickelhahn". Zwickelbiers are unfiltered lagers like Kellerbier, though with a slightly different conditioning process which gives the lager more carbonation. Zwickelbiers tend to be younger, lower in alcohol and less hoppy than Kellerbiers. A very similar beer is Zoiglbier.

Brands and breweries

While the beer market is weaker but more centralized in northern Germany, the south has lots of smaller local breweries. Almost half of all German breweries are in Bavaria. In total, there are approximately 1300 breweries in Germany producing over 5000 brands of beer. The highest density of breweries in the world is found near the city of Bamberg, in the Franconia region of Bavaria. The Benedictine abbey Weihenstephan brewery (established in 725) is reputedly the oldest existing brewery in the world (brewing since 1040). In 2004 Oettinger replaced Krombacher as the best selling brewery in Germany.

Top ten of Germany's best selling beer brands .

Brewery	Output in 2008 in million hectolitres	City	Motto
Oettinger	6.61	Oettingen	Not advertised
Krombacher	5.45	Kreuztal	"Eine Perle der Natur" (A pearl of nature)
Bitburger	3.86	Bitburg	"Bitte ein Bit!" (Please a Bit!)
Warsteiner	2.98	Warstein	"Das einzig Wahre." (The only real thing)
Beck's	2.93	Bremen	"Löscht Kenner Durst"
Hasseröder	2.63	Wernigerode	"Erfrischend echt." (Refreshingly real)
Veltins	2.56	Meschede	"Irgendwann erfrischt es jeden."
Paulaner	2.17	Munich	"Gut, besser, Paulaner." (Good, better, Paulaner)
Radeberger	1.79	Radeberg	"Schon immer besonders."
Sternburg	1.64	Leipzig	"Würzig Süffig"

Many of these Breweries (except Beck's, Paulaner and Sternburg) are located in rural areas of Germany based in small towns.

Alcohol content

The alcohol-by-volume, or ABV, content of beers in Germany is usually between 4.7% and 5.4% for most traditional brews. Bockbier or Doppelbock (double Bockbier) however can have an alcohol content of up to 16%, making it stronger than many wines.

Beer festivals

Oktoberfest

The Munich Oktoberfest is especially well known among tourists for the quantity of beer consumned as well as the friendly, social atmosphere created by the massive marqees with long tables and bench seating. More than 6,900,000 litres of beer are served every year at the festival.

Cannstatter Volksfest

Other similar big Beer festivals that are not as well known as Munich's Oktoberfest of Germany like Cannstatter Wasen at Stuttgart - which is much smaller and having pretty much the same atmosphere although the beer is a little bit cheaper.

External links

• GermanBeerBible.com German beer and cultural guide
• EuropeanBeerGuide.net Guide

 

ABOUT SAN CLEMENTE

San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of 2005, the city population was 65,338. Located six miles south of San Juan Capistrano at the southern tip of the county, it is roughly equidistant from San Diego and Los Angeles. The north entrance to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (known as the "Christianitos Gate") is located in San Clemente.

HISTORY
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the area was inhabited by what came to be known as the Juaneño Indians. After the founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano, the local natives were conscripted to work for the mission. The city of San Clemente was founded in 1925 by real estate developer (and former mayor of Seattle) Ole Hanson who named it San Clemente after a town in Spain. As it were, San Clemente Island was named after the city later since it is directly west of the coast. Hanson envisioned it as a Spanish-style coastal resort town, a "Spanish Village by the Sea." In an unprecedented move, he had a clause added to the deeds requiring all building plans to be submitted to an architectural review board in an effort to ensure that future development would retain some Spanish-style influence (for example, for many years it was required that all new buildings in the downtown area have red tile roofs). It was incorporated in 1928 with a council-manager government.

Nixon's "Western White House" In 1968 President Richard Nixon bought the H. H. Cotton estate, one of the original homes built by one of Hanson's partners. Nixon called it "La Casa Pacifica," but it was nicknamed the "Western White House", a term now commonly used for a President's vacation home. It sits above one of the West Coast's premier surfing spots, Trestles, and just north of historic surfing beach San Onofre. During Nixon's tenure it was visited by many world leaders , including Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, and Henry Kissinger, as well as businessman Bebe Rebozo. Following his resignation, Nixon retired to San Clemente to write his memoirs. He later sold the home and moved to Park Ridge, New Jersey. The property also has historical tie to the democratic side of the aisle; prior to Nixon's tenure at the estate, H.H. Cotton was known to host Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would visit to play cards in a small outbuilding overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Surfing legacy San Clemente catches swells all year long. Going from South to North, they include Trestles (technically just south of the city line), North Gate, State Park, Riviera, Lasuen, The Hole, Beach House, T-Street, The Pier, 204, North Beach, and Poche. San Clemente is also the surfing media capital of the world as well as a premier surfing destination. It is home to Surfing Magazine, The Surfer's Journal, and Longboard Magazine, with Surfer Magazine just up the freeway in San Juan Capistrano. The city has a large concentration of surfboard shapers and manufacturers. Additionally, many world renowned surfers were raised in San Clemente or took up long-term residence in town, including Hobie Alter, Jr., Shane Beschen, Gavin Beschen, Matt Archbold, Christian Fletcher, Mike Parsons (originally from Laguna Beach), Colin McPhillips, Rocky Sabo, Colleen Mehlberg, Greg Long, Dino Andino, Chris Ward, and many, many others. San Clemente High School has won 6 out of 7 most recent NSSA national surfing titles.

Education The city is served by Capistrano Unified School District. Within the city, there are 5 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 1 high school. Elementary Schools: Concordia Elementary, Truman Benedict, Vista Del Mar, Las Palmas, and Lobo Elementary. Middle Schools: Bernice Ayer, Shorecliffs, and Vista Del Mar. High Schools: San Clemente High San Clemente High School is the only high school in San Clemente. Ranked in the top 1.3% of schools nationwide, San Clemente also has an IB (International Baccalaureate) Program, a vast number of AP Courses. The music program also boasts a nationally recognized Vocal Arts Program with award-winning Madrigals, Women's Ensemble, and A Cappella choirs. San Clemente's IB students rank in the top 3% of the World for their IB scores and the program has expanded vastly in the past few years under the direction of Patrick Harris and Kathleen Sigafoos, the IB Coordinators of the School.

* City of San Clemente official website
* The San Clemente Sun Post News, the town's oldest newspaper
* San Clemente Times community newspaper