“Those who appreciate sausages and the law should watch neither being made” – Otto von Bismarck
It’s rare to attend a German fair, festival or otherwise and not have the opportunity to try German sausage or wurst. There are a lot of variations to try so pull up a bench, grab a beer and read on.
A little Sausage History
It is thought that sausage making was invented in Iraq in 3000 BC and other early mentions of sausage exist in China in 589 BC and Greece in 550 BC. The word sausage derives from both the French word saussiche and the Latin word salsus, both meaning salted or preserved. Sausages evolved out of necessity. Back before refrigeration people needed a good way to preserve meat and making sausages became a popular solution.
Different types of sausages developed in different parts of the world depending on climate and available ingredients. In Europe, where seasons allowed periods of cold temperatures, fresh sausages evolved. Here, smoking sausages helped preserve meat during warmer months. In the hotter climate of southern Europe, dry sausages were developed which needed no refrigeration.
Sausages also developed as a way to use all the animal parts. Organs, blood, and fat are edible and nutritious but not particularly appealing on their own. Sausage makers put these by-products and the animal’s intestines to use increasing the food yield and allowing food to be stored and stockpiled
What is a Sausage?
Sausages consist of ground meat mixed with fat, herbs, spices, seasonings, and preservatives. The meat is stuffed into a casing and twisted at intervals to make links. Pork is the most common ingredient used, but sausages also contain beef, lamb, veal, turkey, chicken, or game, and some also have fillers like oatmeal and rice. Casings, the thin wrapping, are made of intestines, stomachs, feet or skin. Artificial casings are now made of other cellulose materials including plastics.
Germany, which claims more than 1200 types of sausages or wurst, classifies sausage in two categories: fresh and slicing/spreading sausages.
Fresh sausages include uncooked and cooked sausages that need reheating. These are made of raw pork, veal, beef, ham, egg, salts and spices. They are cooked in water and sometimes lightly smoked. Some fresh sausages are made from cooked ingredients. These include knockwurst and wieners. Bratwurst is a raw sausage that needs to be fully cooked. All fresh sausages need to be refrigerated.
Slicing and spreading sausages are cold cuts and come ready to eat. Some are very firm or hard and can be sliced and eaten in slices or on crackers and bread. Liverwurst is an example of a spreading sausage made of pork liver.
Types of German Sausage or Wurst
Almost all wurst is made of pork, beef or veal seasoned with regional ingredients. The various ingredients in types of wurst distinguish one from the other. Wurst tend to be regional specialties and thousands of varieties exist. Here’s a sample of some of the more than 1200 German wurst varieties.
Bauerwurst: a chunky sausage that’s often grilled or cooked with sauerkraut. Bierschinken: a large slicing sausage made with ham and pistachios Bierwurst: a slicing sausage with juniper and cardamom Blutwurst: blood sausage, made with pork, beef, blood and fat, eaten sliced cold or fried Bockwurst: smoked sausage made from veal and seasoned with fresh herbs, resembles a large hot dog and can be boiled, best with bock beer Bratwurst: a pale, smoked sausage made of veal and pork, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, one of the sausages that requires full cooking Braunschweiger: a spreadable, smoked sausage made from liver, eggs, milk Cervelat: a slicing sausage made of pork, beef, mustard and garlic Frankfurter: the original, a smoked sausage made of lean pork, salted bacon Knockwurst: short, plump smoked sausage made of lean pork, beef, spices and garlic, often served with sauerkraut Landjager: hunter’s sausage, made of smoked beef, needs no refrigeration, comes in flat sticks Pinkelwurst: made with beef and/or pork, onions, oat and bacon Wiernerwurst: similar to the American frankfurter, made of beef, pork, coriander and garlic Weisswurst: white sausage and the Bavarian Octoberfest specialty, a pale, mild sausage made of veal, beef, pork, cream and eggs, often served with rye bread, sweet mustard and Weissbier.
The best accessories to German sausages are mustards, breads, sauerkraut and beer. Mustards bring out the flavors in wurst and also come in a wide variety including sweet, hot, spicy, coarse and smooth. Breads can include rolls or brotchen (small bread), rye and other seeded breads or sour dough. Saurkraut or German susskraut (sweet) are the perfect side dish and then of course an authentic German beer (see Prost! A Quick Guide to German Beer Culture: Hops and malt, God Preserve Them! by the author). Enjoy!
