Nürnberger Bratwurst – Nuremberg’s Distinctive Sausages

The Nürnberger Bratwurst Tastes Best When Freshly Cooked on a Charcoal Grill:

Nürnberger Bratwurst © Travel Signposts

Nuremberg is famous for its Nürnberger bratwurst which is traditionally grilled or roasted and served three abreast on a bun with mustard. Whether it is served Drei im Weggla (three in a roll), on a plate with sauerkraut or with potato salad, the Nürnberger bratwurst is amongst the most popular fast food snacks in the Franconian metropolis.

Thick as your thumb and golden brown, they taste best when freshly cooked on a charcoal grill.  There are many restaurants in Nuremberg that specialize in the Nürnberger bratwurst, but it is also common to see them being sold in market or street stalls.

There are many legends surrounding the origin of the Nürnberger bratwurst. One of them revolves around the size of the bratwurst – it is said that the bratwurst were made slim enough to allow them to be pushed through medieval Franconian keyholes to hungry customers who were willing-to-pay for them after curfew hours.

The modern take on this is that the Nürnbergers prefer quality not quantity and therefore prefer the small and finer sausages rather than the coarse Franconian offerings.

About Nürnberg’s Distinctive Bratwurst

Thanks to its brisk trade with the Orient, Nuremberg had access to unusual and exotic spices even in the Middle Ages. Then as now, the production of bratwurst is subject to strict standards. Only select first-class pork without tendons or rind is used and the minced meat is spiced with a touch of marjoram. The mixture is filled into narrow sheep casings and twisted off after 7-9 cms.  The bratwurst are approximately 1.5 cms in diameter and weigh 25 grams.

Since August 2003 the names “Nürnberger Bratwürste” and “Nürnberger Rostbratwürste” are trade-mark protected throughout the EU.  Only sausages manufactured according to traditional recipes within the urban area of Nuremberg are allowed to call themselves the above. The restriction has not affected the popularity of the Nürnberger Bratwürst in the least.  On the contrary, the Nürnberger bratwürst is believed to the one of the most popular bratwurst in Germany and each year around 800 million sausages are produced and sold all over the world.

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