Nürnberger Bratwürste

Appearance & taste

The sausages are 7 to 9 cm long and are in a narrow sheep casing; raw, one sausage weighs about 20 to 25 g. The mixture has a medium-coarse grain. It is not cured to a red colour, except in smoked sausages. Typical features are the unusually small size and the note of marjoram.

Fixed values apply to the composition: the proportion of meat protein free of connective tissue protein must not be less than 12 %, and the fat content must not exceed 35 %.

Production

Coarsely defatted pork and bacon are used, in particular belly, cheeks and back of the pig. No proportion of finely emulsified sausage meat (Brät) is provided for. The spice mixture follows the traditional recipe in each case.

All steps take place in Nuremberg: the meat is minced or chopped, mixed with the spices into the finished sausage mixture and filled into sheep casings. Packing also takes place on the producer’s premises immediately after production. The sausages are very perishable minced-meat products; unpackaged, even normal transport can reduce their quality within a few hours. In addition, this makes their origin easier to trace.

Origin & history

Bratwurst making in Nuremberg is documented as far back as 1313; the typically short length and low weight can be traced back at least to 1573. The Imperial City lay at the crossing of important trade routes, along which spices such as marjoram, nutmeg and pepper reached the city early on. Unlike in the countryside, where quantity counted, Nuremberg followed the principle of “class rather than mass”; so the bratwurst became ever smaller, finer and better seasoned.

The recipe and quality go back to the city council’s inspection rules. According to the specification, Nuremberg can probably boast the oldest food control; it is already recorded in the Wandelbuch of the year 1300.

Goethe and Jean Paul appreciated the sausages. The “Bratwurst-Glöcklein” near St. Sebald became one of the most famous inns in Germany in the 19th century. To this day, for many people a portion of bratwurst in one of the bratwurst kitchens in the city centre is part of a visit to Nuremberg.