Thuringian sausage, or ''Thüringer Bratwurst'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, is a unique

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

from the German state of

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

which has

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

status under

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

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 Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, within the Thuringian Forest, to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide ...

in a transcript of a bill from an

Arnstadt Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera (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 ...

convent from the year 1404. The oldest known recipe dates from 1613 and is kept in the State Archive in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

, 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 Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

marjoram Marjoram (, ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial plant, perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram ...

, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

are used. The specific spice mixtures can vary according to traditional recipes or regional tastes. The 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

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 six months.

Preparation

The preferred preparation method for Thuringian sausage is roasted over charcoal or on a grill rubbed with bacon. The fire should not be so hot that the skin breaks. However, some

charring Charring is a chemical process of incomplete combustion of certain solids when subjected to high heat. Heat distillation removes water vapour and volatile organic compounds (syngas) from the matrix. The residual black carbon material is Char (chemi ...

is desired. The sausages are sometimes sprinkled with beer during the grilling process. Usually, a Thuringian sausage is presented in a cut-open

roll Roll may refer to: Physics and engineering * Rolling, a motion of two objects with respect to each-other such that the two stay in contact without sliding * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff bo ...

and served with

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

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 A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

. Most commonly used is " Born mustard" from a local food company in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

. In some regions the usage of any relish - even mustard - is a strict

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

. In eastern of Thuringia most commonly used is " Bautz’ner" mustard. In 2006, the ''Deutsches Bratwurstmuseum'', opened in Holzhausen, part of the

Wachsenburggemeinde Wachsenburggemeinde is a former municipality in the district Ilm-Kreis, in Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the nor ...

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, ), from the Ashke ...

version of Thuringian bratwurst made with veal and chicken packed into goat intestines was introduced at the annual Onion Festival in

, which took place between

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

and

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

. 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 Cervelat, also cervelas, servelat or zervelat, is a sausage produced in Switzerland, France (especially Alsace and Lyon), Belgium, the Netherlands and parts of Germany. The recipe and preparation of the sausage vary regionally. The sausages a ...

, a type of

smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food, particularly meat, fish and tea, by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. In Europe, alder is the traditional smoking wood, but ...

semi-dry sausage similar to

summer sausage Summer sausage is an American term for a sausage that can be kept without refrigeration until opened. Summer sausage is made of beef, pork, or sometimes venison. Summer sausage is fermented, and can be dried or smoked, and while curing ingre ...

. 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, doing business as Hormel Foods or simply Hormel, is an American multinational food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally fo ...

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" ().

References

{{Authority control

Thuringer sausage Thuringian sausage, or ''Thüringer Bratwurst'' in German, is a unique sausage from the German state of Thuringia which has protected geographical indication status under European Union law. History Thuringian sausage has been produced fo ...

German products with protected designation of origin

Sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

Fresh sausages de:Bratwurst#Thüringer Rostbratwurst