Curtido (Mixed Cabbage & Root Ferment)

Curtido is El Salvador’s lightly fermented slaw — shredded cabbage with carrot, onion, and oregano, soured by the same lactic bacteria as sauerkraut. It is the classic mixed brassica-and-root ferment: brighter and more aromatic than plain kraut, traditionally piled on pupusas. A pure lacto version (no added vinegar) ferments clean and keeps for months.

Ingredients

Salt is 2.5% of the total vegetable weight (dry-salt). The slightly higher salt suits the mixed, denser roots and a warmer-climate ferment.

Ingredient	1 Jar (1 qt / 1 L)	1 Crock (2 L / ½ gal)
Green cabbage, cored and shredded	550 g	1375 g
Carrot, coarsely grated	150 g	375 g
White or yellow onion, thinly sliced	100 g	250 g
Non-iodized salt (fine sea or pickling)	20 g	50 g
Dried Mexican oregano	1 tsp (~2 g)	2½ tsp (~5 g)
Garlic, sliced	8 g	20 g
Red chile flakes (optional)	½ tsp (~1 g)	1¼ tsp (~3 g)

Yield: about 700 g finished curtido per jar; about 1.75 kg per crock.

Calculated values

Value	Target
Dry-salt % (salt ÷ total vegetables)	2.5%
Ferment temperature	18-22 °C / 64-72 °F
Time at that temperature	5-14 days
Finished pH	3.4-3.8
Cold storage / arrest	2-4 °C

Run any batch weight through the dry-salt calculator and estimate timing with the ferment predictor.

Readiness window

At 18-22 °C, curtido is pleasant from about day 5 and fully sour by day 10-14. Shorter ferments (5-7 days) stay fresh and crunchy; longer (10-14+ days) go more kraut-like and tart.

Done when: it is pleasantly, cleanly sour, the bubbling has slowed, the carrot still has bite, and a calibrated meter reads pH 3.4-3.8. Arrest by moving to 2-4 °C; it keeps for months and mellows.

Method

Shred and weigh

Shred the cabbage, grate the carrot, and thinly slice the onion. Weigh all three together — this is your salt base.

Salt at 2.5% and add aromatics

Multiply the combined weight by 0.025 (800 g → 20 g salt). Scatter salt, oregano, garlic, and optional chile through the vegetables in a large bowl.

Massage until it weeps

Toss and squeeze 5-10 minutes until the cabbage and carrot go limp and a brine pool collects. The denser roots take a little more working than plain cabbage.

Pack under the brine

Press firmly into the vessel, knuckling out air pockets, until the released brine rises above the vegetables. Weight so nothing floats. Leave 3-4 cm headspace.

Ferment at 18-22 °C

Hold 5-14 days under a loose lid or airlock. Top up with a 2.5% brine (25 g salt per litre water) if the cap drops below the veg. Skim flat white kahm yeast if it forms.

Confirm pH and chill

At clean sourness and pH 3.4-3.8, move to 2-4 °C cold storage.

Variations / mix-ins

Curtido rojo: add 50 g grated beet per jar for a pink ferment.
Spicy: add thin-sliced jalapeño with the vegetables.
Other roots: swap part of the carrot for shredded daikon, turnip, or kohlrabi for a broader brassica-and-root mix.
Bell pepper: fold in 50 g sliced sweet pepper for color and sweetness.