A Quick Guide to German Sausage

You Know You Love 'em

"Those who appreciate sausages and the law should watch neither being made" - Otto von Bismarck

It’s rare to attend a German fair, festival or otherwise and not have the opportunity to try German sausage or wurst. There are a lot of variations to try so pull up a bench, grab a beer and read on.

A little Sausage History

It is thought that sausage making was invented in Iraq in 3000 BC and other early mentions of sausage exist in China in 589 BC and Greece in 550 BC. The word sausage derives from both the French word saussiche and the Latin word salsus, both meaning salted or preserved. Sausages evolved out of necessity. Back before refrigeration people needed a good way to preserve meat and making sausages became a popular solution.

Different types of sausages developed in different parts of the world depending on climate and available ingredients. In Europe, where seasons allowed periods of cold temperatures, fresh sausages evolved. Here, smoking sausages helped preserve meat during warmer months. In the hotter climate of southern Europe, dry sausages were developed which needed no refrigeration.

Sausages also developed as a way to use all the animal parts. Organs, blood, and fat are edible and nutritious but not particularly appealing on their own. Sausage makers put these by-products and the animal’s intestines to use increasing the food yield and allowing food to be stored and stockpiled

What is a Sausage?

Sausages consist of ground meat mixed with fat, herbs, spices, seasonings, and preservatives. The meat is stuffed into a casing and twisted at intervals to make links. Pork is the most common ingredient used, but sausages also contain beef, lamb, veal, turkey, chicken, or game, and some also have fillers like oatmeal and rice. Casings, the thin wrapping, are made of intestines, stomachs, feet or skin. Artificial casings are now made of other cellulose materials including plastics.

German Sausages

Germany, which claims more than 1200 types of sausages or wurst, classifies sausage in two categories: fresh and slicing/spreading sausages.