A Very Guten Guide to the Best of the Wursts
Everything you never knew you needed to know about German sausages.
If you, like us, did not get a doctorate in German cultural studies, you probably don’t really know the difference between a bratwurst and a bockwurst. Or maybe you’re haunted by the time you were publicly shamed for eating a weisswurst — casing and all — with ketchup. “It looked like a white hot dog!” your brain probably screamed. “How was I supposed to know?!”
Luckily for you, we are here to clear up some of your confusion. “Wurst” is simply the German word for sausage, and is used as a suffix to the description of the variety. Now wursts are deeply regionalized — kind of like chicken soup here in America — and there are actually over 1,200 kinds. But we don’t get paid by the word, so we’re just going to go ahead and focus on the ones that are most well-known to Americans.
Use our guide to learn about six basic types of wurst, how to correctly eat them, and what you should serve alongside of them. (NOT KETCHUP. NEVER KETCHUP!!!)
Graphic by Kristyn Pomranz
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