What is liberty cabbage?

Liberty cabbage is another name for sauerkraut. The name was coined during World War I when anti-German sentiment was high in the United States and anything with a German-sounding name was changed to something more American. Sauerkraut was one of the casualties of this renaming trend, and "liberty cabbage" became a popular alternative name. The term fell out of use after the war ended, but it remains a quirky reminder of a time when nationalism and xenophobia ran high in America.