German Sausages: Wurst is the Best
Whether you call them beer brats, German sausages or bratwurst these sausages are the best. They are a great summer food because they are quick and easy to make plus they leave room for so much creativity. Find your own style and enjoy!
By Shira Kogut on May. 29, 2017
Bratwursts Are Far From The Worst
Bratwurst literally means fried sausage in German. Any food in German that ends with the word wurst (technically pronounced vurst) means it’s a type of sausage which as we all know is not the worst, but the best! The classic bratwurst is a sausage made from finely minced pork and beef then fried and served on a piece of bread or a roll usually with German mustard and sauerkraut on top or on the side.
Sound familiar? It should! It is the cousin of the American classic hot dog. What’s another name for a hot dog? A Frankfurter! Named after the city of Frankfurt in Germany where it originated. It got brought over to the US, but as its recipe became more Americanized, different meats were used, different toppings added, it eventually got renamed Hot Dog.
Bratwurst is the base for other German delights like Rostbratwurst and Currywurst. Many cities use bratwurst as their base and then add local flavors to it like special spices or toppings. You can figure out the name of the city or region by taking the ER off the end of the word. For example:
Thüringer Rostbratwurst = Rostbratwurst from Thuringia
Nürnberger Rostbratwurst = Rostbratwurst from Nurnberg (Nuremberg in English)
Can you guess where the word Hamburger comes from?
Don’t Forget the Beer Brats
A great twist on classic the bratwurst recipe is Beer Brats. Instead of boiling the wursts in water, boil them in beer to give them a really great flavor. You need to boil them in about 4 cans of beer, so make sure you save the 2 other cans to drink with them. After all nothing goes better with Bratwurst than a nice beer. We suggest trying something German like a German Pilsener (note the name…from the city of Plzen, Pilsen in English) or a Weizenbock.
Want to learn more about German Sausages?
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