Pronunciation Guide to German Sausages
How to Distinguish and Pronounce German Wurst Varieties
Feb 11, 2009
Novices to learning German and German culture might think that sausages are available mainly in Bavaria and should best be eaten at the Oktoberfest. Far from it! Each and every region in Germany has its own tasty sausage varieties that can be eaten as a snack, full meal or side dish.
Deutsche Wurstsorten – Types of German Sausages
Except for the Leberwurst and the Mettwurst, all sausages selected here are snack sausages, usually obtained at one of Germany’s many Imbissbuden or Schnellimbisse (fast-food stalls or take-out restaurants). Wurst is the generic term for sausage and includes around 1,200 varieties in Germany! The term Würstchen, indicating a small Wurst, refers to snack sausages and usually follows the regional name, for example Frankfurter Würstchen. Here’s a selection of the most popular German sausages:
- Bierwurst – unlike the name suggests, does not contain beer but is a cured and then smoked seasoned sausage that is a popular snack with beer [Beeahwoo-ast]
- Blutwurst – is made by cooking blood with a filler like meat, suet, bread or barley and is tastier than it sounds [Bloohtwoo-ast]
- Bockwurst – a cooked sausage made from veal and pork; traditionally eaten as a snack with Bockbier, therefore the name [Bokwoo-ast]
- Bratwurst – probably Germany’s most famous sausage, made of pork, beef or veal. One needs to grill or roast it (braten), therefore the name. [Brahtwoo-ast]
- Currywurst – pork sausage with curry sauce (= ketchup + curry powder) [Kehrreewoo-ast]
- Frankfurter – boiled or grilled beef sausage [Frahnkfoo-atah]
- Knackwurst – a short, thick sausage from northern Germany, often seasoned, so called because it makes a cracking sound (Knacken) when bitten into [Knahkwoo-ast – make sure to pronounce "k" and "n" at the beginning!]
- Leberwurst – a sausage spread containing 10-20% of pork liver [Lehbahwoo-ast]
- Mettwurst – a cured and smoked sausage made of strongly seasoned minced meat, often added to soups [Mehttwoo-ast]
- Weißwurst - a Bavarian sausage made from minced veal and bacon; white (weiß) in color [Vyswoo-ast]
- Wiener – like the Frankfurter but made from pork and beef [Veehnah]
Regional German Bratwurst Varieties
All regional varieties of bratwurst designate the area they come from. For the selection below, that means the Southern German cities of Bamberg, Coburg, Nürnberg and Würzburg and the federal state of Thüringen. Dialect permits to say just "I’d like a Nürnberger, please“ but "I’d like a Nürnberger Bratwurst, please” is correct as well – "Ich hätte gern eine Nürnberger, bitte”.
- Bamberger – small sausages, not longer than the bread roll they are served in, and usually six of them [Bumbeh-ahgah]
- Coburger – a long veal sausage (25 cm), seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon zest [Kohboo-ahgah]
- Nürnberger – a thin sausage of 10-15 cm length [Neeahnbe-ahgah]
- Thüringer – a long (15-20 cm) and thin spicy sausage [Teeahreengah]
- Würzburger – like the Thüringer but with a dash of white wine [Veeahtsboo-ahgah]
Most German sausages are eaten with mustard (Senf), which is available from mild (mild, say: meelt) to very spicy (sehr scharf).
Guten Appetit! – Happy meal!
Here is more information about sausage ingredients, and anyone who doesn’t believe how seriously Germans take their Wurst, especially the Bratwurst, should check out the German Bratwurst Museum’s website (in German)!
Do complement this article with those on German bread types and how to order German beer. A guide to German consonant pronunciation will help when practicing those throaty sounds.
 |
 |
