Rotkohl

The story

Red cabbage simmered with apples, red wine or vinegar, and cloves looks like a modest side dish, yet it is the one thing that ties together nearly every regional version of the German Christmas table, whether the main course is goose, duck or a pork roast. Its color shifts with acidity: a splash of vinegar or tart apple juice keeps the purple-red vivid, while a less acidic version turns bluish violet, which is why the same dish is called Blaukraut in southern Germany, a matter of nearly serious debate in some families. Rotkohl is made a day or two ahead because, like many cooked cabbage dishes, it gains flavor as it rests, which makes it a practical choice in the days before Christmas when the kitchen is busy with meat and baking. Many Germans in America name Rotkohl as the dish that passes most easily and most faithfully from one generation to the next, since it calls for nothing hard to find: just cabbage, apples and patience.