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Choucroute garnie — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

Alsace

Choucroute garnie

Cabbage fermented in a vat on the plain, saucisses de Strasbourg, smoked pork shoulder, a glass of Riesling: Alsace has turned a winter store into a festive dish.

Traditional dish from Alsace.

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At a glance

History & Origins

Choucroute garnie — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

From winter cabbage to the garnished dish

The word 'choucroute' refers to two things: salt-fermented cabbage, and the garnished dish made from it. The former is a very ancient winter provision, whose PGI specifications acknowledge that its origins are difficult to determine, whilst highlighting the link established very early on with Alsace: Jérôme Bock's Krauterbuch mentioned salted cabbage as early as 1539 amongst the housewife's winter chores, and the historian Charles Gérard wrote in 1887 that 'choucroute has no other origin than the Alsatian himself'. This is Choucroute d'Alsace, grown and fermented on the plain around Krautergersheim.

The dish itself is the Alsatian way of cooking this cabbage: simmered slowly in Riesling, flavoured with juniper berries, bay leaves and cumin, and generously garnished with smoked and salted cured meats. Long a peasant dish, in the 19th century it became the bourgeois staple of Strasbourg's brasseries. A second school pairs it with freshwater fish, creating choucroute garnie de la mer.

Choucroute garnie — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

1871, choucroute heads to Paris

The most widespread account makes the war of 1870 the moment when the dish left Alsace. Following the annexation of 1871, thousands of Alsatians moved to Paris and major French cities; amongst them, brewers opened establishments where they served choucroute garnie with blonde beer, and the dish entered the popular imagination of brasserie cuisine.

In Alsace, it is eaten in winstubs, from Strasbourg to Colmar, and in the villages along the Route des Vins — Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim — whose tables often work with local village producers.

Product characteristics

Sensory profile

Appearance

A large platter of white to pale yellow choucroute, well drained, surrounded by slices of smoked bacon and rack of pork, saucisses de Strasbourg, liver quenelles, a pork shoulder and a ham hock, with steamed potatoes.

Aroma

The fermented cabbage has a pronounced aroma, which softens during cooking.

Taste

The cooked cabbage retains its acidity, softened by the smoky fat of the cured meats and flavoured with white wine, juniper berries, bay leaves and cumin.

Texture

The cabbage remains firm, the poached sausages keep a taut casing without bursting, and the bacon and pork shoulder become melt-in-the-mouth tender after more than two hours of cooking.

Varieties

Classic choucroute garnie

smoked farmhouse bacon and salted bacon, smoked pork shoulder, saucisses de Strasbourg, Montbéliard or Morteau sausages, sometimes a ham hock, and steamed potatoes.

Choucroute royale

the same base, enriched with finer cuts: pork tenderloin, quenelles.

Choucroute de la mer

salmon, haddock or pike-perch in place of cured meats, a version created in Strasbourg in the 1980s.

How it is made

01

Washing the cabbage

raw choucroute is washed in cold water, then in warm water, and squeezed by the handful to extract the liquid.

02

Into the casserole

the cabbage is spread in a heavy-based casserole with goose fat, a large onion studded with cloves, garlic and juniper b… Read more
the cabbage is spread in a heavy-based casserole with goose fat, a large onion studded with cloves, garlic and juniper berries, then moistened halfway up with Alsace white wine and water.
03

Slow cooking

the smoked bacon and rack of pork are added to the cabbage for two to two and a half hours of gentle cooking, covered.

04

Steaming the potatoes

peeled, they are placed on top of the choucroute to steam for thirty minutes.

05

Poaching the sausages

the saucisses de Strasbourg are poached for five minutes in boiling water, without ever boiling, otherwise they burst.

06

Plating up

the well-drained cabbage is arranged on the platter, garnished with the meats cut into even slices, the sausages and the… Read more
the well-drained cabbage is arranged on the platter, garnished with the meats cut into even slices, the sausages and the potatoes.

Tasting & pairings

Choucroute garnie — AI-generated illustration AI-generated illustration

From November to March is the peak season, and the Alsatian Christmas markets provide the setting that suits it best; served in the height of summer on an outdoor terrace, it loses much of its charm. The pairing rule comes down to a single sentence: Alsace white wine, never red, which cannot hold its own against the acidity of the cabbage and the fat of the cured meats. Dry, mineral Riesling remains the classic match; Sylvaner, Pinot blanc or a brut Crémant d'Alsace, whose bubbles cleanse the palate, also work well. It also pairs very nicely with the region's blonde beers. When dining out, favour establishments that display 'choucroute maison' and name their suppliers.

Labels & certifications

Good to know

Choucroute garnie bears no official designation: it is a cooked dish whose garnish varies from one winstub and household to the next. The fermented cabbage that forms its base has itself been protected by PGI (IGP) Choucroute d'Alsace since 2018.

The people of the terroir

Restaurant Krautergersheim

Auberge Le Chou'Heim

Restaurant

Restaurant Strasbourg

Au Pont Corbeau

Restaurant — Winstub

Restaurant Strasbourg

Aux Trois Chevaliers

Restaurant — Winstub

Restaurant Strasbourg

S'Thomas Stuebel

Restaurant — Winstub

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Restaurant Krautergersheim

Auberge Le Chou'Heim

Restaurant

The inn occupies a former tithe farm in the heart of Krautergersheim: the website reports that a tenth of the crops stored there once went to the village castle, residence of the local lord. Converted into a restaurant in the 1990s, the establishment presents itself as one of the benchmarks of traditional Alsatian gastronomy, in a village that the site itself describes as the capital of choucroute.

The menu showcases choucroute royale, alongside tartes flambées and a more contemporary creation, the Alsatian burger with Munster. The establishment describes itself as well-suited to family, business or group meals, and also offers takeaway.

Address2 Rue Clemenceau, 67880 Krautergersheim, France
Phone+33 (0)3 88 99 08 20
Emailcontact@chouheim.fr
Websitelechouheim.fr
FacebookFacebook page
Instagram@lechouheim
VisitsYes
Call Directions
Restaurant Strasbourg

Au Pont Corbeau

Restaurant — Winstub

Au Pont Corbeau presents itself as a family-run winstub located on quai Saint-Nicolas in Strasbourg, near the Musée alsacien, in a traditional setting supported by a network of local producers. The Michelin Guide, quoted on its website, describes it as a convivial address 'in the spirit of a brotherhood that cultivates conviviality, good food, fine wine and sharing'. The Le Fooding guide singled out a choucroute garnie on the menu — in a 'digest' version on the lunch menu or 'XL with three sausages' à la carte — alongside grilled jambonneau and a mustard filet mignon.

Address21 Quai Saint-Nicolas, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Phone03 88 35 60 68
Websiteaupontcorbeau.fr
FacebookFacebook page
VisitsYes — restaurant (enquire for opening hours)
Call Directions
Restaurant Strasbourg

Aux Trois Chevaliers

Restaurant — Winstub

Housed in a half-timbered building dating from 1348 on quai des Bateliers in Strasbourg, the winstub Aux Trois Chevaliers has been open since 1923. Taken over in October 2025 by Gilles Egloff — co-founder of the Diabolo Poivre group, which he left that same year — after seventeen years under the stewardship of Christine and Stephan Maser, the establishment has retained its kitchen team and its identity.

The menu showcases Alsatian classics: choucroute, beer-braised pork knuckle, and the unmissable veal cordon bleu 'des Trois Chevaliers'. The restaurant, open from Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, describes itself as a 'tavern with a view' over quai des Bateliers.

Address3 Quai des Bateliers, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Phone03 88 36 15 18
Websiteauxtroischevaliers.com
FacebookFacebook page
Instagram@auxtroischevaliers
VisitsYes — restaurant (enquire for opening hours)
Call Directions
Restaurant Strasbourg

S'Thomas Stuebel

Restaurant — Winstub

S'Thomas Stuebel is an Alsatian restaurant located at 5 rue du Bouclier in Strasbourg. Its menu showcases Alsatian specialities and game, with gluten-free options; tarte flambée, however, is not served. The establishment has 40 covers indoors and 8 on the terrace, accepts meal vouchers and pets, and the staff speak German and English in addition to French.

Address5 Rue du Bouclier, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Phone03 88 22 34 82
Websitesthomasstuebel.fr
FacebookFacebook page
VisitsYes — restaurant (enquire for opening hours)
Call Directions

Sources & references