The method of "pickling" is to sprinkle salt on the cabbage, arrange it neatly, and then press it tightly. After a month, take it out and dry it in the sun. It can be kept for a long time and is called winter vegetables. . Since pickled dried vegetables are not as delicious as fresh vegetables, in the Qing Dynasty, this kind of pickled vegetables gradually developed into sauerkraut, which was also a way to preserve freshness. Xie Yong's "Miscellaneous Songs of Food: Northern Sauerkraut" records the preparation method of sauerkraut: "At the beginning of the cold month, take the salted vegetables into the jar, remove the juice, and cook them in boiling soup." Pickles, that is, cabbage, are soaked in light salt water in winter and become sour in January. The method of making yellow leeks in the south is similar. In the north, cabbage with yellow sprouts is plump and plump. When pickled into sauerkraut, it has a great flavor, especially when mixed with yokan. The method of making sauerkraut mentioned here is basically the same as today. "Yokan" is "sauerkraut and mutton".

Sauerkraut is mainly found in Northeast China and Germany, but also in Southwest China. It was called Jing (zū) in ancient times, and its famous name is found in "The Rites of Zhou". The "Essentials of Qi Min" from the Northern Wei Dynasty introduced in detail the various methods our ancestors used to pickle sauerkraut with cabbage (called Siong in ancient times) and other raw materials.

The original intention of making sauerkraut is to extend the shelf life of vegetables. In the "Book of Songs", there is a description of "There are huts in the middle fields, and melons in the battlefield. They are peeled and watermelon, and they are presented to the emperor." Today's sauerkraut, it can be seen that Chinese sauerkraut has a long history.

Sauerkraut can be used as appetizers, side dishes, or as seasonings in our diet. It can be divided into Northeastern sauerkraut, Sichuan sauerkraut, Guizhou sauerkraut, Yunnan Fuyuan sauerkraut, German sauerkraut, etc. The taste and style of sauerkraut in different regions are also different. Common people often refer to "sauerkraut" as a general term for all types of sauerkraut made from green vegetables or cabbage.

Sauerkraut is made through multiple processes. The outer dead leaves are removed, washed, soaked in boiling water, placed in a jar to ferment, and can be eaten after a week.

Sauerkraut was made by the Chinese people through constant life experience and exploration, and was introduced to the Korean Peninsula in the Ming Dynasty.