Sauerkraut is finely sliced cabbage fermented by various lactic acid bacteria including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has good keeping qualities and a distinctive sour flavour, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when bacteria ferment the sugars in the fresh cabbage.The word comes directly from the German, Sauerkraut , which literally translates to sour cabbage. Sauerkraut is a typical dish of traditional Dutch (Zuurkool), Estonian (Hapukapsas) and other Northern European and Central European cuisine. It also is a prominent feature of cuisines from most of the cold regions of Europe, and it is eaten in many parts of Northeast China, the USA, Chile, and Canada as well.