Even the mention of it will make your mouth water. You will definitely eat all of it at one sitting no matter how full you already are. And the “way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” proverb was probably invented by men who wanted women to cook it for them more often. Yes, I’m talking about bratwurst.
If you have missed out on the pleasure of trying one of those I would recommend stopping to read this post immediately and hurriedly making your way to the nearest deli. The rest of you will know that a bratwurst is a sausage usually prepared of veal, pork, or beef. If the name in English sounds unusual to you that’s probably because it was borrowed from German. In German, in its turn, the word was derived from Old High German “Brätwurst”, from two roots standing for “finely chopped meat” and “sausage”. Since then, the term has undergone certain changes in the perception of native speakers. Thus, even though the “brat” in “bratwurst” originally described the way the sausages are made, nowadays Germans associate it with the verb “braten”, which means “to pan fry” or “to roast”.
One of the oldest documents in the world referring to bratwurst dates back to as far as 1404 and is currently presented within the collection of the German Bratwurst Museum in Thuringia. Although bratwurst has not existed in other parts of the world for nearly half as long as in Germany, it is widely spread in some of them. For instance, in the 1920s bratwurst was popularized in some states of the USA, especially in the state of Wisconsin where the largest ancestry group is German. Nowadays, both Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Bucyrus, Ohio claim to be the Bratwurst Capital of the World. With Sheboygan being home to America’s largest bratwurst manufacturer, the largest annual bratwurst festival, however, takes place in a much smaller town of Bucyrus.
But even though bratwurst is a common sausage in the US, Germany remains the motherland of its original recipes. There, bratwurst can be found nearly anywhere, but my personal favourite is Dusseldorf that hosts not only one of the largest varieties of recipes, but also a number of cafes named after the famous sausage. So, if you want to try bratwurst comme il faut catch one of the short flights to Dusseldorf and plunge into the atmosphere that will complete your every meal.
Don’t worry if a trip to Germany is not high on your priority list at the moment: bratwurst dishes can be prepared in the comfort of your own home. The variety of bratwurst recipes is only limited by your imagination, but you should remember that you will never find fish in a proper bratwurst. Any of the meats can be used, although beef-only brats are not common either. Another tip to keep in mind is that wurst gourmets never use yellow mustard. Instead, brown mustard or hot Sauerkraut can be added. Finally, boiling your bratwurst before grilling will give it that unmistakable taste.
Whether you decide to enjoy a delicious bratwurst meal in front of your TV at home or at one of authentic German restaurants, I strongly recommend that you do it and do it fast, as bratwurst has become one of the latest victims of escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. The diplomatic crisis is driving up the price of sausage casing, and the cost of importing sheep intestines from Iran is also rising. With the future of the sausage industry threatened, we should all grab our chance to enjoy the famous delicacy at acceptable prices.
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