Bratwurst

Germany — regional styles across all German states; the Nürnberger Rostbratwurst is documented from 1313 and holds EU PGI status; the Thüringer Rostbratwurst (Thuringia) is the other major PGI Bratwurst; the Weisswurst (Munich) dates to 1857 and was invented by Josef Moser at the Gasthaus zum Ewigen Licht

Germany's most diverse sausage category — 'Bratwurst' means 'fried sausage' (braten = to fry/roast, Wurst = sausage) rather than denoting a specific recipe — encompasses over 40 regional styles, from the slender, pale Nürnberger Rostbratwurst (6–9cm, grilled over beechwood, served in threes in a bread roll with mustard) to the coarse-cut, large Thüringer Rostbratwurst (60cm, grilled over charcoal), to the Bavarian Weisswurst (white, veal-based, boiled not grilled, eaten before noon). What unifies the category is the fresh (unsmoked, unfermented) pork and/or veal filling with marjoram, nutmeg, white pepper, and ginger as the canonical spice profile. The Nürnberger Bratwurst has EU Protected Geographical Indication status — it must be produced within the city of Nuremberg.

Nürnberger: in threes in a Brötchen with süßer Senf at Christmas markets (Christkindlmarkt); Thüringer: alone on a plate with sharp mustard and Sauerkraut; Weisswurst: boiled in hot water, consumed by peeling the casing and sucking out the filling (Zuzeln), before noon, with a Weissbier and Brezel; each regional style is inseparable from its occasion