Bratwurst

Bratwurst with sauerkraut and potatoes

Nürnberger pork bratwurst with sauerkraut and mustard, in Munich.

A bratwurst (pronounced: [ˈbraːtvʊɐst]^ⓘ) is a sausage composed of pork, beef, or veal. The name is German, derived from Old High German brätwurst, from brät- which is fine chopped meat and -wurst, sausage. Though the brat in bratwurst describes the way the sausages are made, it is often misconstrued to be derived from the German verb "braten", which means to pan fry or roast. Etymology aside, frying and roasting are far from the most common methods of preparation. Bratwurst are usually grilled and sometimes cooked in broth or beer.

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Eating practices and traditions

Germany

How the sausage is served varies by region. In Thuringia, it is often eaten with hot German mustard in a bread roll or Brötchen. There and further south, the bratwurst are often served "pinched" in a bread roll, much like a forerunner of the American hot dog bun. It is a very popular form of "fast food" in German-speaking countries, cooked and sold from small stands and street vendors. Recipes for the sausage can also vary; some sources list over forty different varieties of German bratwurst.

The "Wurstkuchl" in Regensburg, Germany, is the oldest bratwurst restaurant still in existence. It was established shortly after 1146 and traditionally served bratwurst to dock workers. Today it mostly serves as a tourist attraction but still roasts bratwurst the traditional way.

A giant wurst-and-bun statue can be found at the main intersection of Holzhausen, the location of the German Bratwurst Museum (Deutsches Bratwurstmuseum). The museum, run by the Friends of Thuringian Bratwurst, opened in 2006 and is devoted only to the Thuringian sausage.

The oldest document in the museum mentions bratwurst for the first time in 1404 in Thuringia. In 1410 followed the County of Katzenelnbogen.

Regional Variation

Coburger Bratwurst Bratwurst originating in the city of Coburg in Bavaria. It is made from a minimum of 15% veal or beef, and its seasonings include only salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest. It is coarse in texture and measures about 25 cm in length. Traditionally it is grilled over pinecones and served in a bread roll (Brötchen).

Fränkische Bratwurst A relatively long (10-20 cm), thick, coarse sausage, originating from the Franconia (Franken) region in Bavaria. It dates back to 1573. The Fränkische Bratwurst is traditionally served with sauerkraut or potato salad, but with no mustard.

Kulmbacher Bratwurst The Kulmbacher Bratwurst, from the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria, is made mainly from finely ground veal. It is long and thin.

Nürnberger Rostbratwurst A small, thin bratwurst from the city of Nürnberg. It is no longer than 7-9 cm and weighs no more than 25 g. It is traditionally served in sets of 6 or 12 with horseradish and sauerkraut or potato salad.

Nordhessische Bratwurst The Nordhessische Bratwurst (from Northern Hessen) is similar to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst in taste. It is made from coarsely ground pork and is heavily seasoned. It measures around 20 cm in length. Traditionally, it is grilled over a wood fire and served on a cut-open roll (Brötchen) with mustard.

Rote Wurst The Rote Wurst is a favorite Bratwurst of the Swabian region. It is similar to the Bockwurst, and is made from finely ground pork and bacon. Its taste is spicy. To prevent splitting during grilling or pan frying, an X is cut into the ends of the sausage. The ends open during cooking, but the rest of the sausage remains intact, giving it its traditional shape.

Thüringer Rostbratwurst The Thüringer Rostbratwurst is a spicy sausage from Thüringen. It is long (15-20 cm) and thin in shape. Traditionally, it is grilled over a charcoal fire and eaten with mustard and bread.

Würzburger Bratwurst The Würzburger Bratwurst, also known as the Winzerbratwurst, comes from the city of Würzburg. Its size is similar to the Thüringer Rostbratwurst, but its ingredients include white Franken-Wine.

United States

In the United States, bratwurst (colloquially known as "brats" -- rhymes with "scots") are typically grilled, rather than boiled. Sometimes they are boiled in beer prior to grilling. They are usually eaten on a hot dog bun, brat bun or a hardroll, topped with mustard or many of the other condiments often eaten with hot dogs. These may include ketchup, onions (grilled or raw), sauerkraut, pickle relish, shredded cheese, mayonnaise, and others. The bratwurst is occasionally served as a pair of links nestled in a buttered hardroll with these same toppings; this is called a 'double brat'.

In the United States, bratwurst, while not strictly a regional cuisine, is strongly identified with areas where German and other Northern European immigrants settled in large numbers, such as Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which is informally known as the "Bratwurst Capital of America". The city celebrates "Sheboygan Bratwurst Days", a community festival held on the first Thursday through Saturday of August each year. Bratwurst is especially popular in a region stretching from Chicago, Illinois up through Wisconsin into Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin is also a center of bratwurst appreciation. Johnsonville Foods, the nation's largest bratwurst maker, is based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Other traditional Wisconsin brat manufacturers include Klement's Sausage Company and Usinger's, both of which are based in Milwaukee.

The city of Madison, Wisconsin, holds an annual festival billed as the "World's Largest Brat Fest". The four-day charity event sees tens of thousands of brats sold by "celebrity" cashiers, usually local television, radio, and government personalities. Brat Fest's self-proclaimed world record is 191,712 brats consumed during the 2008 event. Throughout Wisconsin, the "brat fry" is a popular fundraising technique; brats are grilled outdoors and sold for the benefit of a charity organization.

Another town with German-American roots is Bucyrus, Ohio, which is known for its unique recipe incorporating caraway seed. It holds a bratwurst festival annually in mid-August attracting over 100,000 visitors annually. A Bucyrus-style bratwurst is served split on a rye bun with sauerkraut, mustard, and chopped white onions.

The bratwurst was popularized as a mainstay of sports stadiums after Bill Sperling introduced brats to major league baseball in Milwaukee County Stadium in 1953. The brats were such a hit, Sperling said, that Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers took a case back to New York, and the rest is history.

The type of bratwurst most commonly found in the United States are the larger variety (as opposed to the smaller "Nuremberg-style" bratwurst), approximately 1 inch in diameter, reddish-brown in color, and made of some combination of beef and pork, and sometimes smoked. Bratwurst made exclusively with chicken or turkey, and even vegetarian versions, are increasingly found in American grocery stores.

United Kingdom

Bratwurst have become increasingly popular in the UK through German traders on UK Christmas markets, tourism to German Christmas markets and demand by present and former military personnel returning from Germany.

Members of the Armed Forces refer to bratwurst as "Brati". "Brati[1]" is also the registered trademark of a UK company importing bratwurst from Germany and operating a network of bratwurst stalls throughout the UK.

References

brati.co.uk Link to the homepage of Brati^RTM -The German Bratwurst company

See also

• Bockwurst
• Sausage Race
• Wurst mart