Mulgikapsad

Name: Mulgikapsad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1 kg sauerkraut; 300 g pork belly, cut into chunks; 300 g pork shoulder, cut into chunks; 100 g pearl barley, rinsed; 750 ml water; 1 onion, chopped (optional); ¼ tsp salt; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 800 g potato (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Sauerkraut slowly stewed with fatty pork and pearl barley until soft and mellow. An Estonian winter and Christmas classic, served with boiled potatoes.

Mulgikapsad is an Estonian stew, ready in about 2 hours 15 minutes and made with sauerkraut, pork belly and pearl barley. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Mulgikapsad, sauerkraut stewed with pork and barley — Photo: Eiusmod / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 h
Total: 2 h 15 min
Serves: 6
Level: Easy
Calories: 476

Ingredients

6 servings

1 kg Sauerkraut (opens in a new tab)Rinse briefly if very sour.
300 g Pork belly (opens in a new tab), cut into chunks
300 g Pork shoulder (opens in a new tab), cut into chunks
100 g Pearl barley (opens in a new tab), rinsedContains gluten
750 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), chopped (optional)
¼ tsp (1.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)Sauerkraut is salty already — taste first.
1 tbsp (14 g) Brown sugar (opens in a new tab)Balances the sourness; optional to taste.
800 g Potato (opens in a new tab) (optional)Boiled, for serving.

Equipment

Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Put the sauerkraut (opens in a new tab), pork, barley (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pot with the water and salt.
- 10 min
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally and adding water if it catches, until the pork is tender and the barley (opens in a new tab) soft.
- 110 min
- low heat
3
Step 3
Stir in the sugar, taste for salt and cook uncovered for a final 10 minutes so it is moist but not soupy. Serve with boiled potatoes (opens in a new tab).
- 10 min
- low heat
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Mulgimaa, Estonia · Well documentedMore food from Estonia
Dish: Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method: Stewed, Slow-cooked
Taste: sour, savoury, rich
Diet: Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: One-pot · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Sauerkraut · Pork belly · Pearl barley · Pork shoulder · Brown sugar
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

Contains: Glutenfrom pearl barley

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

476 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 411 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 14%
Carbohydrate 19%
Fat 68%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	476 kcal	116 kcal
Protein	16.4 g	4 g
Carbohydrate	22.3 g	5.4 g
Net carbohydrate	14.9 g	3.6 g
Sugars	5.3 g	1.3 g
Added sugars	2.2 g	0.5 g
Fibre	7.4 g	1.8 g
Fat	35.9 g	8.7 g
Saturated fat	12.9 g	3.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	72 mg	17 mg
Sodium	1252 mg	305 mg
Salt equivalent	3.1 g	0.8 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 577 mg
Calcium: 79 mg
Iron: 3.7 mg
Magnesium: 49 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 4 µg
Vitamin C: 25 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: 0.8 µg
Folate (DFE): 47 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: onion, potato.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

It can also be baked covered at 160 °C for the same time, which avoids sticking.

Common mistakes

Rinsing all the flavour out of the sauerkraut — rinse only if it is very sour.

Food safety

Simmer until the pork is tender and cooked through.
Cool leftovers quickly (shallow containers) and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat until piping hot (75 °C).

Storage

Keeps 4 days chilled and tastes better reheated.

Reheating

Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Sauerkraut1000 g
Pork belly, cut into chunks300 g
Pork shoulder, cut into chunks300 g
Pearl barley, rinsed100 g
Potato (optional)800 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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