The Weißwurst (veal sausage) is a Bavarian specialty, most notably the Munich Weißwurst. Eating it seems to be a science on its own. Fortunately, you won’t make a fool of yourself when choosing one of these methods: peeling, scraping, or sucking.

Clinking glasses and beer drinking people who sway, sing along, and dance to party music. It’s Oktoberfest in Munich again – the world’s largest folk festival. Since 1810, it has been taking place on the Theresienwiese, a 42 hectares large place in the heart of Munich. Bavarians just call their annual fair Wiesn (lit. Meadow).

Don’t slice the Wurst

The Münchner Weißwurst (Munich veal sausage) belongs as much to the Oktoberfest as beer. It is a Brühwurst (scalded sausage) made of Kalbfleisch (veal), Schweinefleisch (pork), and Gewürzen (spices) such as Petersilie (parsley), Pfeffer (pepper), Zitronenpulver (lemon powder), Mazis (mace), Zwiebeln (onions), Ingwer (ginger), and Kardamom (cardamom).

Traditionally, you are having a Weißwurst with süßem Senf (sweet mustard), a Bretzel (pretzel), and, of course, a glass of beer. But how do you eat this traditional dish properly? First of all, you shouldn’t slice it like an ordinary sausage. Usually, the Wurstdarm (sausage casing) of Weißwürste is quite zäh (tough) and not meant for consumption. Instead, you have to suck the meat out of the casing. If you cannot warm up to this habit, you can also cut the casing and peel the sausage or scrap the meat off. The video below shows how it works.

It’s Wurst-time

The consumption of a Weißwurst isn’t bound to a particular time. Nowadays, you can have it for lunch, supper, brunch or a snack whenever you like. Originally, it was eaten while having a Frühschoppen (pre-lunch drink). There are two explanations going round why the sausages used to be eaten during the first half of the day.

Traditionally, Weißwürste are made in the early morning. A long time ago when cooling technology hadn’t been invented, the Bavarian sausages had to be eaten as soon as possible after their completion. Thus, it was advised to eat them before midday. Another story tells that the sausages were usually sold in taverns during the morning to craftsmen, who should clear the place until midday for more sound customers.

Source: Wikipedia

Vocabulary:
die (Münchner) Weißwurst – Munich veal sausage
die Brühwurst – scalded sausage
das Kalbfleisch – veal
das Schweinefleisch – pork
das Gewürz – spice
die Petersilie – parsley
der Pfeffer – pepper
das Zitronenpulver – lemon powder
der Mazis – mace
die Zwiebel – onion
der Ingwer – ginger
der Kardamom – cardamom
der süße Senf – sweet mustard
die Bretzel – pretzel
der Wurstdarm – sausage casing
zäh – tough
der Frühschoppen – pre-lunch drink