Sour is the missing taste.
People often use taste and flavor interchangeably, but they’re different. Taste is basic. We can detect five, and I like to think of them as the elements of taste: sweet, sour, bitter, salt, and umami.
Flavor is a higher level. It’s made up of taste, aroma, texture and temperature. Balancing those five tastes can have a big effect on flavor.
In my experience, sour is the one most American cooking leaves out. The contrast it creates makes other foods taste more like themselves: the burger more beefy, the eggs richer, the potato more potato-y.
Sauerkraut brings back the sour. Of course it goes with sausage, but it’s just as good on a sandwich, a burger, a baked potato, tacos, eggs or grilled cheese. It adds the bright, sour note the plate was missing, along with crunch and a rich, savory depth.
I want you to eat it with every meal. Not because it’s good for you, but because it’s good.
