Who invented sauerkraut?
Earliest recordings of fermented vegetables come from NE China (Manchuria) It is said the Genghis Khan brought the art of lacto fermenting vegetables from central Asia to W. Russia when the Mongols were conquering. This would be in 1237. It most likely trickled from there westward into Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands. At some point in that time line it was developed into what is now sauerkraut. There are lacto-fermenting and yeast fermenting traditions for both food and beverage, all over the world.
Earliest recordings of fermented vegetables come from NE China (Manchuria); some estimates are 4,000+ years ago. It is said the Genghis Khan brought the art of lacto fermenting vegetables from central Asia to W. Russia when the Mongols were conquering. This would be around 1237. It most likely trickled from there westward. Pliny the Elder wrote a couple lines describing the craft 2,000 years ago in Rome. East Asian trade routes could have carried these ideas to the Mediterranean basin whenever they started. Probably how olives came to be fermented into edible fruit. There are lacto-fermenting and yeast fermenting traditions for both food and beverage, all over the world.
