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Sausages have been known since Antiquity; Homer already referred to them in the Odyssey (8th century BC). The sausage (“wurst” in German) is a great German specialty that has been made since the Middle Ages. From the basic recipe of a pork casing stuffed with minced meat (pork, beef, veal, etc.) and seasoned with spices, there are now about 1 500 different sorts, some of which (below) are particularly well-known and popular.
- Bockwurst or Weisswurst is a white sausage with pork and veal, seasoned with parsley, mild spices and bound with egg, traditionally from Munich. Bratwurst is a pre-cooked variety of the previous sausage, with a pork and veal base or just veal. It is also available smoked and seasoned (paprika, cumin, pepper).
- Bauernwurst, or farmhouse sausage, is made with pork and beef with a spicy taste from adding mustard and marjoram.
- Nürnberger Rostbratwurst is a grilled pork sausage from Nuremberg the size of a finger.
- Thüringer Rostbratwurst is a relatively thin grilled sausage from Thuringia (15 to 20 cm long, AOP certification since January 2004), made of pork or beef and sometimes veal. A museum is devoted to it in Holzhausen (Erfurt).
- Currywurst is a curry-flavoured pork sausage, which is served grilled, sliced into rounds and covered in a tomato sauce sprinkled with curry. It is a specialty of Berlin, and it has its own museum since 2009 (Currywurst Museum).
- Knackwurst (pork and beef) gets its name from the sound (“knack”) made by its skin when you bite it.
- Rindswurst is a beef sausage from Frankfurt, although the original version was a thin paste of pure cold smoked pork, sold raw and ready for poaching. It is the most famous German sausage (frankfurter).
- Bierwurst is a sausage made with pork spiced with garlic and mustard grains to be served with a beer (Baveria).
- Leberwurst is a sausage spread from the Kassel region made of pork, veal or goose liver.
Production and consumption
In Germany, sausage production totalled 1 300 000 tons in 2008 with about 300 000 tons exported. Frankfurters and Strasbourg sausages
are the most commonly sold in France, and household consumption has risen from 65 000 tons (2000) to 71 000 tons (2009). (Sources: CICT, FICT, Larousse des cuisines du monde)
At Rungis Market
“We sell frankfurters and Nuremburg sausages,” explainsJean-Luc Le Goupils, Manager of the fresh produce department of Le Delas. “The volumes can triple depending on the season. Our principal clients are wholesalers, restaurants and pork butchers.”
