The sauerkraut mentioned in this article refers to sauerkraut popular in Northeast, North China, and Northwest China. It is generally marinated in Chinese cabbage (after or without boiling) from October to November each year, and fermented to produce acid ( (Acid fermentation), usually placed in large tanks or jars and stored in corridors, warehouses and other places with low temperature, and taken at any time. In the past, when the standard of living was low, sauerkraut (and Chinese cabbage) was the most popular vegetable in winter in the northern region. When I was a child in rural Liaoxi, I had almost no fresh vegetables throughout the winter (and early spring), only cabbage, sauerkraut, radish and potatoes Waiting for storage of "winter vegetables".

　　Historically, pickling Chinese cabbage into sauerkraut not only changes the taste but also improves storage stability (in the past, sauerkraut can be eaten until May of the following year), which is an "invention" . However, as far as nutrition is concerned, sauerkraut is a very bad food. There is every reason to eliminate sauerkraut from daily recipes! This is because:

　　 First, the value of sauerkraut is extremely low ( If it is not zero), Chinese cabbage has been marinated for a long time (usually several months), and the vitamin damage and loss are more serious. It basically does not contain vitamins A, D, E and C, although fermentation itself can also produce a small amount of B vitamins, but cooking sauerkraut usually needs to be washed and simmered for a long time, which has been destroyed (note that only looking at the test data of the food ingredient list does not reflect the real situation).

　　Secondly, sauerkraut contains large nitrite, which is easily converted into nitrosamines and other nitroso compounds in the stomach (or in vitro), which has a clear carcinogenic effect on gastric cancer and esophagus Cancer, liver cancer, etc. have made outstanding contributions. When talking about the causes of cancer, textbooks about cancer, large and small, generally mention the role of sauerkraut. The large-scale international research conducted in Linxian County, Henan Province in the 1980s and 1990s has fully confirmed this.

　　 It is precisely because sauerkraut is neither nutritious nor carcinogenic, so I have always opposed eating sauerkraut. There are fewer and fewer people pickling sauerkraut or eating sauerkraut, but it is not the result of my objection, but because of the improvement of living standards, fresh vegetables are very popular in winter, and everyone can afford it. Sauerkraut is naturally no longer the mainstream vegetable. However, there are still people who love or often eat sauerkraut on the grounds of "good bite" and "think of not eating", which is a typical "sequel of poor days"-to know that eating behavior or lifestyle habits have a strong inertia , Income has increased or even become rich, but some of the lifestyle habits or preferences developed during the poor have not been changed for a while, and the love of sauerkraut or just one example.

　　Every year to this season, I will see various "good ways" or "notes" about pickling sauerkraut in the media, such as "Do not eat within 10 days of pickling" (this period The highest concentration of carcinogens), "Do not pickle yourself to buy on the market" (because many vendors use the so-called "quick pickling method" to add acids), "Add vitamin C in sauerkraut tank" (to block the synthesis of carcinogens) , "Use preservatives" (to avoid contamination by miscellaneous bacteria)...not many. Do not know why, they just refuse to summarize these into a simple sentence: do not eat sauerkraut. Many times, you have to admire the power of tradition.