Germany , and
beer, served in
Hohenems,
Vorarlberg, Austria In Germany, a bratwurst is considered genuine if its main ingredient is pork. Recipes for the sausage vary by region and even locality; some sources list over 40 different varieties of
German Bratwurst, many of the best known originating in
Franconia (today for the most part situated in northern
Bavaria, but still culturally quite distinct), its northern neighbor
Thuringia and adjacent areas. How the sausages are served is also locally different, but most commonly they are regarded as a simple snack served with or in a white
bread roll made from
wheat flour and eaten with
mustard. As a pub dish, it is often accompanied by
sauerkraut or
potato salad and sometimes served with dark, crusty country bread made predominantly from
rye flour, or less commonly with a (
pretzel). It is a very popular form of
fast food in German-speaking countries, often cooked and sold by street vendors from small stands, and is also traditionally popular with fans at football games. in
Münster Franconian varieties The Franconian sausage is a relatively long (), thick, coarse sausage, common to the whole Franconian region with slight variations. It dates back to 1313. With
marjoram as a characteristic ingredient, it is close in taste to the
Nürnberger Bratwurst but juicier, due to its size and coarseness. The is traditionally served with sauerkraut or potato salad.
Bratwurst originating in the city of
Coburg in Franconia was first documented there in 1498. It is made from pork and a minimum of 15% beef, seasoned with only salt, pepper,
nutmeg, and lemon
zest, and bound with raw egg. It is coarse in texture and is about long. Traditionally, it is grilled over pinecones and served in a bread roll ().
The is a finely-ground from the city of
Kulmbach in
Upper Franconia. Long and thin, it is made mostly from very finely ground veal, with very little pork. This sausage may be seasoned with salt, white pepper, nutmeg, lemon peel, marjoram, caraway, and garlic. The exact mixture is a closely guarded trade secret of each butcher. is usually pan-fried, or grilled over a wood fire. They are sold and served freshly grilled from vendors' stands in the , in pairs, with or without mustard, on crusty rolls sprinkled with anise.
The small, thin bratwurst from Franconia's largest city, Nuremberg, was first documented in 1567; it is long, and weighs between 20 and 25 g. The denominations and ( comes from the grill above the cooking fire) are
Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) under EU law since 2003, and may therefore only be produced in the city of Nürnberg, where an "Association for the Protection of
Nürnberger Bratwürste" was established in 1997.
Pork-based and typically seasoned with fresh marjoram which gives them their distinctive flavour, these sausages are traditionally grilled over a beechwood fire. As a main dish six sausages are served on a
pewter plate with either sauerkraut or potato salad, and accompanied by a dollop of horseradish or mustard. They are also sold as a snack by street vendors as (three in a bun; the spelling is also common, / being the word for "bread roll" in the Nuremberg dialect), with mustard. Another way of cooking Nuremberg sausages is in a spiced vinegar and onion stock; this is called (blue lobes). File:Nürnberger Rostbratwürste.JPG| File:Drei im Weggla.jpg| File:Blaue Zipfel.jpg|
The , also known as the , comes from the city of
Würzburg in Franconia. Its size is similar to the , but its ingredients include white wine from
the region.
Other varieties The is a thin, long spiced sausage from
Thuringia. It is notable for its low fat content (25% as compared to up to 60% in other sausages). In addition to salt and pepper,
caraway,
marjoram, and
garlic are used for spicing. It is traditionally grilled over a charcoal fire and eaten with mustard and bread. The name is recognized as a
protected geographical indication (PGI) under EU law. Triggered by the discovery in 2000 of an account entry of 1404 first mentioning the
Bratwurst in Thuringia in the town of
Arnstadt, the association "Friends of the
Thuringian Bratwurst" was founded in 2006. In the same year, the association established the () in the village of
Holzhausen. In 2016, a
kosher version of Thuringian bratwurst made with veal and chicken packed into goat intestines was introduced at the annual Onion Festival in Weimar. File:Rostbratwurstbrot.png| in a bun with mustard File:Thüringer Rostbratwurst.jpg|Close-up of
The -long (from northern
Hessen) is similar to the in taste. It is made from coarsely ground pork and is heavily seasoned. Traditionally, it is grilled over a wood fire and served on a cut-open roll with mustard.
The (red sausage) is a favorite
Bratwurst of the
Swabian region. It is similar to the
Bockwurst, and is made from finely ground pork and bacon, and has a spicy taste. To prevent splitting during grilling or pan frying, an X is cut into the ends of the sausage, which opens during cooking. Sometimes a row of x-shaped cuts are made along its length.
Banat Swabians,
Danube Swabians living in the
Banat, brought both fresh and smoked Banater Bratwurst with them when they immigrated to Germany. Influenced by the Banat region's cuisine, it is made with hot and sweet
paprika.
Switzerland (left),
schüblig (center),
cervelas (right) In 1438, bratwurst started to become popular in eastern Switzerland, especially in
St. Gallen. "
St. Galler Bratwurst", traditionally made from veal, has been famous since then. St. Galler bratwurst with a round bread is sold on the street, and also served in restaurants with
rösti.
United States Bratwurst, often shortened to "brat" in
American English, is a common type of sausage in the
United States, especially in the
Upper Midwestern region, which is home to many people of
German-American ethnicity.
Wisconsin, where the largest ancestry group is German, is known for its bratwursts. Brats are also popular in other Midwestern states such as
Michigan,
Minnesota,
Missouri,
Ohio,
Indiana, and
Iowa, as well as cities with large populations like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Originally brought to North America by German immigrants, it is a common sight at summer cookouts, along with hot dogs. Many grocery stores and butcher shops sell varieties with popular additions such as
cheddar cheese and
jalapeño peppers. Wisconsin is the home of the "beer brat", where the brats are simmered in beer (generally a mixture of a pilsner style beer with butter and onions) before or after grilling over charcoal. Bratwurst was popularized in
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, in the 1920s. In general, each local butcher shop would take orders and hand make bratwurst fresh to be picked up on a particular day. The fat content of the sausages was substantial, making daily pick up necessary to avoid spoilage; some of the fat is lost on cooking over charcoal. Bratwurst has also become popular as a mainstay of sports stadiums, especially baseball parks, after Bill Sperling introduced bratwurst to
Major League Baseball in
Milwaukee County Stadium in 1954, when the
Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. The brats, which sold for 35 cents, were grilled and placed into a container of a special tomato sauce with green pepper and onions before being served. The bratwursts were so popular, Sperling said, that
Duke Snider of the
Brooklyn Dodgers took a case back to New York City.
American Family Field in
Milwaukee sells more bratwurst than hot dogs. Current
American Family Field foodservice provider
Delaware North (through their Sportservice subsidiary) markets
Secret Stadium Sauce at retail as a complement to bratwurst. Every year, during the
Memorial Day weekend, the city of
Madison, Wisconsin, hosts
Brat Fest, which is billed as the "world's largest bratwurst festival". The town of
Bucyrus, Ohio (which calls itself the "Bratwurst Capital of America"), has held the three-day Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival annually since 1967. ==See also==