I’m currently doing research for an upcoming story about translation and food, and one of the theories that keeps coming up is how wildly different people’s expectations are for flavors depending on where they come from. Even if you just look at the four basic types of taste – sweet, sour, bitter, and salty – it’s easy to see how, culturally, different people prefer different things.
In Croatia or Belgium for example, bitter food like chicory and beer is frequently on the menu; in the U.S., sweet food is much more sought after (thus my strange obsession with salads with fruit in them, which people in France think is bonkers).
In France, I would argue, saltiness is the predominant flavor, though richness also characterizes the food here.
As for Germany, you’ll find sourness pretty much everywhere.
My mother’s father was from Germany, and my aunt-godmother-eternal-travel-buddy cooked up quite a few classically German dishes for us when we were growing up. While the vary quite a bit, most of them have one thing in common: a bit of sourness. From classic mustard, which many first characterize as spicy but actually has a sour undercurrent, to vinegar-based sauces to sour beers, everywhere I go in Germany, I taste something sour. And I actually really like it.
This salad is kind of a play on one of the most classic German dishes of my childhood: sweet and sour red cabbage. That dish takes quite a bit more time to make; the cabbage cooks down until it becomes silky and soft, and it starts to caramelize in the sugars. It’s a lovely recipe, but when I want a bit more crunch (which is most of the time), I turn to this version, which could be considered a paleo take on that recipe: it has no added sugar, save the apple and beet chunks, and it also has the benefit of not stinking your kitchen up with the smell of cooking cabbage.
The coriander isn’t by any means necessary, but I love the bright, herbaceous flavor it lends to this salad. If you’re like The Country Boy and think it tastes like soap, you could just as easily leave it out or swap in some parsley.
Cabbage and Beet Salad with Cilantro
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 red cabbage, grated (I use a food processor for this)
3 beets, roasted and cooled
1 granny smith apple, diced
cilantro, for garnishing
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the cabbage and toss to combine. Allow to marinate anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.
Peel the beets and cut them into wedges. Add to the cabbage. Toss to combine.
Serve the salad in individual bowls, topped with a sprinkling of apples and cilantro leaves.