Alsatian sauerkraut, which takes its name from the phonetic adaptation of the Alsatian term Sürkrüt (sür:sour, krüt:cabbage), is a typical dish of Alsace, and probably the most associated with the region in France and Europe. international. It is a preparation obtained by the natural fermentation of selected varieties of cabbage. It is most widely consumed in the form of garnished sauerkraut, accompanied by an assortment of pork and potatoes. The sauerkraut is then cooked directly with sausages (Frankfurt sausage, Strasbourg, Montbéliard, Morteau, etc.), various pieces of salted meat (shank, dry ham, etc.) and potatoes. But sauerkraut can also be eaten raw, in a salad, or cooked, as an accompaniment to meat or fish. In the Bas-Rhin, there is a "sauerkraut route" where a festival is organized every year in honor of this typical dish.
Historically a dish of peasant origin, the flammekueche or flamms is an emblematic dish of the Alsatian region. It was born out of the peasants' habit of recycling bread dough to share a convivial and simple dish to prepare, and spread to the rest of the region in the 1960s. Traditionally, the flammekueche is prepared from thin rolled out bread dough, cream and/or fromage blanc, small pieces of bacon and slices of raw onion. The tarte flambée is then baked briefly (7-8 minutes) in a very hot oven. The variants are now very numerous, but some are more widespread than others. The four most common variations are au gratin (with Gruyère cheese), forest cheese (onions, mushrooms), munster tart and apple tarte flambée (sweet variation flambéed with Calvados).
Unlike the flammekueche, which is associated with the peasant world, baeckeoffe (or “Alsatian hotpot”) is attached to urban culture. Literally "baker's oven", baeckeoffe is a traditional Alsatian dish made from meat and marinated vegetables, the preparation of which takes more than 24 hours. At the time, housewives made this dish on Sundays, before going to the fields or to church, and put it to cook in the only oven in the village, the baker's oven. The preparation is spread over three stages:first the marinade with the meats (lamb, beef and pork), the spices (juniper berries, cloves), the vegetables (leek, carrots, garlic) and the wine White. After 24 hours, mix potato strips with onions, salt and pepper and place part of this mixture at the bottom of a baeckeoffe dish, then a layer of marinade and so on to the top. Cover with pastry and bake for 4 hours at 180°.
