Quintessential German: What are Kohlrouladen?
Traditional German foods, explained
In the wintertime, nothing tastes better than a nice, traditional Kohlroulade.
It is simple, delicious, and it can also be vegan if so desired. My Grandma's Kohlroulade are a pure meatlover's dream though.
Here in the north, we use Wirsing Kohl for our Kohlrouladen, or Cabbage Rolls. I believe the English Word for Wirsingkohl is Savoy Cabbage.
A nice Kohlroulade.
To make Kohlrouladen, you first have to blanch, or steam the cabbage so that it becomes soft and pliable. You then wrap several leaves of cabbage around the filling and secure it with some some kitchen twine.
The filling usually consists of seasoned ground meat, some speck and onions. You can also add rice and/or tomato paste. My Grandma keeps it simple though: just the meat mix.
After forming the Rouladen, you then cook/stew them in a little brine and you are done. The gravy is made from the brine after you are done cooking.
Serred with Potatoes
Because all that is a lot of work, my Grandma usually makes a whole batch of 12-13 Kohlrouladen at once and then puts them in the freezer. I think they taste a little better reheated anyways.
Kohlrouladen are served with potatoes and the gravy they were stewed in. Delicious. You really do not need much more.
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Comments (37)
Ahhh...golabki 😃. Looks lovely
My mama does the same all pot of golabki (Kohlrouladen) them freeze them in case 😄👍
A, the Polish Version. Guess it’s just as delicious.
Yep exactly as a kid I used to eat them a lot 😂. I think I would enjoy in vegan version too 🤔
So is it cooked in like a beef broth and then made to gravy when done?
Pretty much.
Sounds really good.
They look delicious! I’d love to veganise this dish! We have a similar one in Greece/ Cyprus called lahanodolmades (λαχανοντολμάδες) but it’s cooked in red sauce and it always has rice in it! What is speck btw? 🤔
Speck is made from Pork Belly, kinda like Bacon, but different.
I see, thanks 😊
I grew up eating these, just thinking about them brings back comfort food memories 🙃
You’re welcome 😉
I like the sound of that. 😀
Can you even pronounce half of it? 😉😬
Nope .I got cabbage roll, meat, gravy and potatoes and that is good enough for me. 🙂