Sauerkraut’s biggest fans include Captain Cook, the builders of the Great Wall of China, and, now, Sophie Holloway.

It’s 1770. Captain James Cook has just arrived on the coast of New South Wales. Vast, white shores stretch out before him beneath a blinding blue sky. While excellent navigation and leadership skills played a part in him getting there, they weren’t the only reasons he succeeded. Setting down his hat and kicking off his boots, he leans back to enjoy the view and pulls out his scurvy-defying secret: a big fat jar of sauerkraut.

Translating literally as ‘sour cabbage’ (I mean, why beat about the bush?), this relish packs a punch and is typically served in swirling, tangled heaps upon a bratwurst or burger.

Punchy, soft, and crunchy, sauerkraut is the perfect tangy cushion in a hot, sticky meat bun or bap. It also comes with a range of health kicks. Made from finely shredded cabbage – and a good deal of salt – the sugar in the cabbage is converted to lactic acid during the fermentation process, and when the right levels of acidity are reached, the vegetable is packaged up in tightly sealed tins.

But the first attempts to can sauerkraut ended with a bang – and not in a good way. Stopping the fermentation process was not always that straightforward, and carbon-dioxide, one of the by-products, caused the containers to bloat and explode. In 1932, the German company Hengstenberg created the first sauerkraut-proof cans, enabling people to enjoy it all year round.

Back when sailors had to spend long periods at sea – without the luxury of vitamin tablets – the Germans and the English had to find ways to stave off the threat of scurvy. The long-lasting, storable sauerkraut was one of the best foods for combatting this disease. It explains why Yorkshireman Captain James Cook, who led one of the first voyages to Australia, supposedly always had a healthy supply of sauerkraut with him at all times.

“Punchy, soft and crunchy, sauerkraut is the perfect tangy cushion in a hot, sticky meat bun or bap“

But there’s a plot twist. Sauerkraut is not as German as many believe. Its origins likely lie many thousands of miles east, in China. A country well known for its fermented food – from rice wine to pickled vegetables. It is thought that the briny dish is the legacy of Chinese workmen who built the Wall of China in the 3rd century BCE. Workers would drench the fresh cabbage in rice wine and let it ferment, preserving it for the winter months ahead.

Sauerkraut, while popular in Germany, is served widely across Central and Eastern Europe, and recipes differ slightly across borders. “Our sauerkraut is different from the German recipe, because it has carrots in it, too,” says Grzegorz Skielnik from the Polish Deli, which has pop-up stalls at markets across London. “And we only add salt. Some people use vinegar to speed up the process, but we allow ours to take time – it tastes better that way.”

Fermented foods have a lot to offer, and sauerkraut is up there as a superfood contender. It contains a host of vitamins and a good chunk of the periodic table, too, including copper, manganese, potassium and iron. Studies have shown the probiotics produced during the process can improve levels of healthy bacteria in the gut – and improve the immune system as well as depression and anxiety.

So, next time you’re prepping for a summer BBQ, or looking to jazz up bangers and mash, be open to giving this humble and historic food a place at the table.