Hot and juicy: Germany's classic street food, the bratwurst

DW (English)

Crispy on the outside, spicy and juicy on the inside: that's how connoisseurs like their bratwurst. What makes it special? And, with ketchup or mustard?

Transcript

00:00Hey guys, it's me, the Bratwurst, the original world-famous German Bratwurst, the culinary

00:13backbone of the whole nation.

00:17It just tastes great.

00:18That's the most important thing.

00:21Thuringian Bratwurst, best in the world.

00:26Freshly browned off the grill, juicy inside and crispy on the outside.

00:31That's right.

00:32Nobody can resist me.

00:34In Germany, there is no street festival, no soccer match and no Christmas market that

00:39could do without me.

00:40I'm not just piping hot on the outside either.

00:43It's the inside that counts after all.

00:46There, I'm a perfectly balanced mix of juicy ingredients.

00:50In Germany, I'm something of a superstar.

00:54It's simple, smells good, tastes good.

00:59But let's get one thing straight.

01:01I'm not just any old sausage.

01:03I'm the original Thuringian Rostbratwurst.

01:07I have around 3,600 relatives in Germany.

01:10That's how many types of sausage there are here.

01:13Many are just cold cuts, but if you want a warm belly, trust me, I'm your guy.

01:19Perfect in a row.

01:22Good luck eating a Bavarian veal sausage on the go.

01:26Nuremberg sausages?

01:28They're so small, you'll need three just to get going.

01:32And the currywurst, chopped, mutilated and drowned in ketchup, oh please.

01:38Thomas Meyer here might just be my biggest fan.

01:42He'll show you how to grill me later.

01:44But first, let's take a look at his Bratwurst Museum in Mühlhausen.

01:48It's all about me and my marvelous biography.

01:52People had to preserve meat, that was the point.

01:57They had to stockpile.

01:59Through trial and error, they came up with the solution.

02:03First, washing and salting casings.

02:06Then chopping meat, filling the casings and smoking it.

02:13Sausages are said to have originated several thousand years ago.

02:18We've been a popular street food for centuries.

02:20But I, the Thuringian Rostbratwurst, am special.

02:24I first appeared in written records in 1404.

02:28So if you ask me, I'm the oldest bratwurst in the world.

02:35At the butcher shop Barthel, my secret recipe is not revealed to just anyone.

02:40Different types of sausage have evolved throughout Germany and differ from town to town.

02:45But the basics are similar.

02:47Here, the pork is first put through a mincer.

02:51Its spices and preparation determine each sausage's distinct character.

02:56The differences may be small, but they are very important.

03:01Let's take the Nuremberg bratwurst, for example, which is smoked.

03:05That doesn't happen with Thuringian sausages.

03:08It's placed on the grill raw and roasted.

03:11And for flavor, we add a little marjoram.

03:13Bavarians never do this. They don't like the taste.

03:18Next, my filling is seasoned and chopped up finely.

03:21The filling is known as Brett, hence my surname bratwurst.

03:25Then I'm pressed into pork casings and portioned.

03:28And finally, I'm ready to jump on the grill.

03:33Here we have the Thuringian original.

03:35You can see it's in its natural casing.

03:37That's very important.

03:40Without the natural casing, there'd be no chance of catching a tan.

03:46This will take eight to ten minutes.

03:50And in keeping with street food tradition, I'm fast too.

03:58The important thing is that it can't be too hot or too cold.

04:04The best way to find out is with your hand, two centimeters above the grill.

04:09Let's say for two or three to five seconds.

04:12If it's longer, it's too cold.

04:16But if you can't hold your hand over it at all, then it's too hot.

04:20Then you have to turn and turn and turn.

04:23But not for too long. I'll burn.

04:29Yeah, that's when I'm best. Ready for my next love affair.

04:34Now all that's missing is the mustard.

04:37No. Yes.

04:39No. Mustard.

04:42Mustard!

04:47Ketchup is a no-go.

04:49Ketchup with currywurst?

04:51Currywurst in Berlin.

04:53It should be mustard. Ketchup is a sacrilege, but each to their own.

04:57How about you? Ketchup or mustard?

05:00Or maybe something different altogether?

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