[Andrey_BY]

Pickled cabbage (Kvashennaya Kapusta in Russian) which is called sauerkraut is a very old traditional recipe/dish of Russian and Slavic cuisine. It has been for ages one of the main food to Russian people during the cold time from November until April along with stored cabbage, turnip and pickled cucumbers. They eat meat only for holidays during so many centuries before 1930s.
It's interesting that pickled cabbage contains much more vitamins than fresh cabbage. It is usually served as winter salad here. And you also can make a sour soup from it called Shchi (Щи in Russian).

We have many special cabbage varieties for pickling from Soviet Union times. Slava 1305, Podarok, Amager 611, Moskovskaya Pozdnyaya, Kharkovskaya Zimnyaya, Mara etc. They are midseason to late varieties.
The best cabbages for pickling should be firm and 3-5 kg in weight. Usually we add shredded carrot, onion or even cranberries to chopped cabbage.