Ketwurst is a form of
hot dog
A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a f ...
created in the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
. The word "Ketwurst" comes from a combination of ''
Ketchup
Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among o ...
'' and ''Wurst''
(German for "sausage").
Its preparation involves the heating of a special
Bockwurst
Bockwurst is a German sausage traditionally made from ground veal and pork (tending more towards veal, unlike bratwurst). Bockwurst is flavored with salt, white pepper and paprika. Other herbs, such as marjoram, chives and parsley, are als ...
, larger than regular hot dogs, in water. A
long roll is pierced by a hot metal cylinder, which creates an appropriate sized hole. The sausage is then dunked in ketchup and put inside of the roll.
The Ketwurst was invented at the State Gastronomical Research Center — like the
Grilletta, a hamburger-like meatball-in-a-bun — around 19771978. At that time, restaurants at the
Berlin TV Tower
The Berliner Fernsehturm or Fernsehturm Berlin ( en, Berlin Television Tower) is a television tower in central Berlin, Germany.
Located in the Marien quarter (''Marienviertel''), close to Alexanderplatz in the locality and district of Mitte, ...
were incapable of handling the large numbers of visitors, so a take-away food was needed. It is often considered the archetypical East German fast food, but until
German reunification, it was rarely seen outside the city center of Berlin.
See also
*
List of hot dogs
This is a list of hot dog dishes. A hot dog is a type of cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a partially sliced bun. This type of sausage was culturally imported from Germany and popularized in the United States, where ...
*
References
External links
*
{{Hot dog variations
Berlin cuisine
East German culture
Hot dogs
German sausages