''Frankfurter Würstchen'' ('

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

sausage') is a thin parboiled sausage in a casing of sheep's intestine. The flavour is acquired by low temperature

smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...

. For consumption, Frankfurters are occasionally heated in hot water for only about eight minutes to prevent the skin from bursting. If they are grilled, Frankfurt sausages are heated over propane or charcoal flame. They are traditionally served with bread, mustard,

horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

potato salad Potato salad is a salad dish made from boiled potatoes, usually containing a dressing and a variety of other ingredients such as boiled eggs and raw vegetables. It is usually served as a side dish. History and varieties Potato salad is foun ...

History

Meat sausages as a Frankfurt speciality are already mentioned in medieval sources, often served during the Imperial coronation ceremonies at the Römerberg. Smoked ''Frankfurter Würstchen'' have had protected geographical status in Germany since about 1860. Since 1929, the indication is only allowed to be used for sausages that are produced in the Frankfurt area, mainly in

Neu-Isenburg Neu-Isenburg (, ) is a town in Germany, located in the Offenbach (district), Offenbach district of Hesse. It is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area and has a population of 38,204 (2020). The town i ...

and Dreieich. Originally, Frankfurters were made without nitrite

curing salt A cure is a completely effective treatment for a disease. Cure or The Cure, or variants, may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * Cure (film), ''Cure'' (film), a 1997 film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa * The Cure (1917 film), ''Th ...

. After going through specific aging and smoking processes, the sausages, now of a golden colour, are put into wooden boxes with small sheets of parchment paper between layers. Therefore, the traditional sausages have a square cross-section, but there are a few exceptions where the sausage is round.

Other countries

Outside Germany, "frankfurter" is a common designation for boiled sausages, such as North American

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

sausages, which are called Wiener Würstchen ('Vienna sausages') in Germany. The majority of hot dogs no longer use the sheep intestine and are skinless; however, some people still make traditional hot dogs. In 1984

celebrated the 500th birthday of the hot dog with people living in the city claiming that "the frankfurter" was first produced in Frankfurt, Germany. It is furthermore accepted that a German immigrant introduced the ''frankfurter'' sausage to New York from his native Frankfurt. In

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, Vienna sausages are called ''Frankfurter Würstl'' as they allegedly were brought to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

by Johann Georg Lahner (1772–1845), a butcher trained in Frankfurt, who in 1805 began to produce sausages from a mixture of pork and beef.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankfurter Wurstchen German sausages Hessian cuisine Cooked sausages

History

Other countries

See also

References