Thuringian sausage, or ''Thüringer Bratwurst'' in German is a unique sausage from the German state of Thuringia which has

protected geographical indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...

status under European Union law.

History

Thuringian sausage has been produced for hundreds of years. The oldest known reference to a Thuringian sausage is located in the Thuringian State Archive in Rudolstadt in a transcript of a bill from an

Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera about south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially preserved town ...

convent from the year 1404. The oldest known recipe dates from 1613 and is kept in the State Archive in Weimar, another is listed in the "Thüringisch-Erfurtische Kochbuch" from 1797 which also mentions a smoked variety.

Production

Only finely minced pork, beef, or sometimes veal, is used in production. Most of the meat comes from the upper part from around the shoulder. In addition to salt and pepper, caraway, marjoram, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

are used. The specific spice mixtures can vary according to traditional recipes or regional tastes. At least 51% of the ingredients must come from the state of Thuringia. These ingredients are blended together and filled into a pig or sheep intestine. Thuringian sausages are distinguished from the dozens of unique types of German wursts by the distinctive spices (which includes marjoram) and their low fat content (25% as compared to up to 60% in other sausages). According to German minced meat law, the ''Hackfleischverordnung'', raw sausages must be sold on the day of their creation or until the closing of a late-night establishment. Previously grilled sausages have a shelf-life of 15 days, and sausages immediately frozen after their creation may be stored for 6 months.

Preparation

The preferred preparation method for Thuringian sausage is roasted over charcoal or on a grill rubbed with bacon. The fire shouldn't be so hot that the skin breaks. However, some charring is desired. The sausages are sometimes sprinkled with beer during the grilling process. Usually, a Thuringian sausage is presented in a cut-open roll and served with mustard.

Thuringian culture

For the people of Thuringia, grilled Thuringian sausage is not merely the local cuisine. The grill is at the very core of Thuringian culture. Mostly beer instead of water is used to cool the grill, and the type of grill is a matter of doctrine. Mustard, preferably local, is the traditional condiment. Most commonly used is " Born mustard" from a local food company in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...

. In some regions the usage of any relish - even mustard - is a strict taboo. In eastern of Thuringia most commonly used is " Bautz’ner" mustard. In 2006, the ''Deutsches Bratwurstmuseum'', opened in Holzhausen, part of the Wachsenburggemeinde near

, the first museum devoted exclusively to the Thuringian sausage. In 2016, a

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

version of Thuringian bratwurst made with veal and chicken packed into goat intestines was introduced at the annual Onion Festival in Weimar, which took place between

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

and Yom Kippur. The introduction of the kosher bratwurst sparked some backlash on social media with comments posted that were "full of hate, anti-religious sentiment and National Socialist cliches", according to the Governor of Thuringia.

North America

In North America, the term ''Thuringer'' refers to Thuringer cervelat, a type of

smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and ''lapsang souchong'' tea are often smoked. In Europe, alder is the tradi ...

semi-dry sausage similar to summer sausage. It is made from a medium grind of beef, blended with salt, cure ingredients, spices (usually including dry mustard), and a lactic acid starter culture. After stuffing into a fibrous casing, it is smoked and dried, then cooked.

Hormel Foods Corporation Hormel Foods Corporation is an American food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally focused on the packaging and selling of ham, sausage and other pork, ...

and Usinger's, as well as many regional processors and some small butcher shops, produce the sausage in this fashion.

Luxembourg

Prior to Thuringian sausages being given protected geographical region status in the EU, a type of Luxembourgish sausage was locally known as a Thüringer. It is now referred to as "Lëtzebuerger Grillwurscht" ( lb, grill sausage).

References

{{Sausage , state=autocollapse Thuringer sausage German products with protected designation of origin Sausage Fresh sausages de:Bratwurst#Thüringer Rostbratwurst