Curry Kraut from Cleveland Kraut
We’re just back from the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco and will have several reports over the coming days. But this is too good to wait. The (subjectively) best thing I had at the show can be found not in some frou frou emporium or celebrity chef’s kitchen…. But at Walmart. We’re talking about Cleveland Kraut.
I happened on these guys randomly in a cheese aisle at the show. The specific best thing was their “classic” caraway kraut which was probably the most well-balanced sauerkraut I have ever tasted. There were many, many pickle vendors at the show but most were disappointing. Most of the wares were vegetables preserved in a vinegar brine, vs naturally fermented. Which is ironic because probiotics and other gut-food was a huge trend elsewhere. And the Kraut brothers with their “raw & probiotic fermented foods for all” were right there at the head of the curve.
Cleveland Kraut facings at Walmart
The Cleveland Kraut guys make maybe a dozen varieties, of which maybe 8 were in evidence when I beat a path to my local Walmart in Saratoga Springs, NY. It’s under $6 for a pound which is more than a can of processed stuff but less than you’ll pay for a small curated jar of artisanal kraut. They have hit a sweet spot in delivering a quality product that tastes good but is exceptionally well priced.
Last night I tried the “Gnar Gnar” which I assumed was some kind of Cambodian mountain pickle but in fact is derived from “gnarly” and is described as a “Cleveland take on kimchi”. It is indeed spicy, garlicky, almost too powerful… Gnarly. This morning’s breakfast was Curry Kraut with jalapeños, carrots, ginger and turmeric… perfect. Beet Kraut is waiting in the fridge then it’s back to the store.
We have previously remarked on the surprising variety available at Walmart and this is a good example. One wonders what a small company which has already managed national distribution was doing at the Fancy Food Show in the first place. The answer, of course, is to introduce their product to people like us. Go to your local Wally World and try some now.
