Curtido is a dish common to El Salvador. I always thought it was Mexican but googled it before writing this and it seems to have originated in El Salvador but I’m just repeating what I found on the internet. I have no real knowledge of where it started but I know I love it.
If you’re interested in making it, you can find lots of recipes online. There are basically two ways to make it. I believe the original recipes were made by fermenting, very similar to sauerkraut, and that’s the way I’ve had it and made it. Another way seems to be to add apple cider vinegar and leave it in the fridge for a few days but there’s no real fermentation taking place in the jar. Because I like the flavor of the fermented version, and I believe the fermented version has probiotics, that’s the route I go.
I make it with shredded cabbage, carrots, onions and chopped jalapeno peppers. Salt is added, the ingredients are all pounded or massaged to release liquid, the fermenting weights keep the ingredients covered in the liquid.
I leave it out for a few days . . 5 – 7 days, then move it to the fridge once I like the taste of it.
This batch, I used a jalapeno pepper but it wasn’t very hot so I chopped a serrano pepper and added that. Then I tasted the pepper and it was HOT so I took some of it out. It may not be spicy enough but I can always add red pepper flakes. I’d rather it be not spicy enough than too spicy.
We eat this as a coleslaw but it’s also very good on sandwiches or burgers.
Liz says
Wait a minute – I buy the coleslaw bags at Sprouts and I usually use the packs up before they go bad. But, there have been a few times that they seem to go vinegary and I toss them. AND, I love sauerkraut, go figure.
I need to check out how to toss the bags that go “sour” into a jar to further ferment with added flavors. There have been a few times that I still used the slaw and I kinda liked it. I think the last time I had to toss a bag, I did wonder if I could do something to recover the slaw. Hmm…something to think about and research…thanks!!!
BTW – I’m single, so I have to consider how long I eat something. Some things are ok for a day or two, other stuff….well….
Judy Laquidara says
You’ll have to figure that one out. Salt is added to shredded cabbage when it’s shredded to make kraut. The sale pulls the liquid out and keeping the cabbage submerged in the salty brine helps the good bacteria grow and supposedly deters growth of the bad bacteria so a bag of cabbage that’s starting to get sour . . not real sure what I’d do with that but there may well be info on the internet about it.
Susan Nixon says
It sounds interesting, but I probably won’t ever make it. I’m not a big fan of slaw and vinegary things. It looks pretty in the jar, though!
Judy Laquidara says
For me, it was one of those things that grew on me. Now, I crave it.
Ethelann says
Is this something you could make in your sauerkraut maker?
Judy Laquidara says
It could but it only has to ferment a few days and kraut takes at least three weeks and my little kraut maker almost always has kraut in it.
Ruth Chow says
So is the curtido less fermented than the sauerkraut? Or why the big time difference? I bought a head of cabbage and one of those boxes with the sliding vented top and I thought I would try the curtido in it. But now that I’ve reread what you do I guess the jar and weight is better for that.
BreathAliento says
My Salvadoreño loves this stuff and I learned to make it for him. We go the vinegar route but it sits on the counter all year round. Try just a crushed leaf of oregano for authentic flavor
Thanks for sharing. Just lovely!