Sausages are a German staple, especially at any festival or market. If you’re new in town, you might find yourself wondering why one sausage is white while another one is dark; and then there are all those confusing sliced meats. Don’t despair. Here is your guide to wurst in Deutschland. 

The word “Wurst” (pronounced vorst or verst) is an old German word first used in print in the 11th century. It likely originated with words that meant mixing and twisting, such as twisting the ends of the intestines to hold in the yummy mixed meats.  

A wurst is a combination of ground meats, salt, spices and a variety of other ‘special’ ingredients, all bound inside a casing. Nowadays the casing can be artificial (but still edible) or a natural piece of intestine or other skin.  

Wurst are sausages, but the term can also refer to sandwich meats. Because cold cuts are sliced from giant logs of encased meat (massive sausages), they are also called wurst. This food item has been popular for millennia, partly because of its preserved nature which came in handy before preservation and partly because it is just tasty! 

The wurst is so much a part of German culture that it features in many idioms. For example, “Das ist mir wurst,” literally translates to “it’s just more sausage.” But it is used as a way to scoff, or remain indifferent to, a situation and say, “it doesn’t matter to me.” Because, well, since we aren’t quite sure about the input, then who cares what’s in that wurst, anyway? 

Wurst can be cooked in a many different ways. There are three categories, each with its own selection of unique sausage types. 

“This is the largest category of wurst, with hundreds of varieties. The raw meat mixture inside of a Brühwurst is often finely ground to give it a very smooth homogenous texture, though some can have ‘chunks.’ The sausages are quickly cooked in boiling water, which makes the filling firm into a hotdog texture. ”

Frankfurter  

The Frankfurter, or Wiener Würstchen, is the closest thing to an American hotdog you’ll find in Germany. It is a thin, long sausage made from pork and cased in sheep intestine. They are edible from the package, but are better when boiled, fried or grilled to reheat them. 

Bockwurst 

Sometimes called a Rote Wurst, the Bockwurst is another hotdog lookalike and gets its name from the tradition of eating it with a strong bock beer. The filling is mostly veal and a small portion of pork, flavored with salt, white pepper and paprika. After boiling, it is smoked for additional flavor. It can be bought in a hotdog-style package or in a shelf-stable jar. 

Knackwurst 

This is a short, stubby, plump sausage that originated in northern Germany in the mid-16th century. The filling is usually ground beef and pork flavored with lots of garlic. There are all sorts of different varieties depending on the region. In Austria, knackwurst is called a Salzburger and contains bacon and potato starch. In America, it is known as the knockwurst, has a veal filling and features prominently on tailgating grills. 

Gelbwurst 

You may have bought this from a German grocer thinking it was sliced turkey only to discover it was a pork product. No? Only me? The name means yellow sausage, and the color comes from the cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, lemon powder and salt in the casing (though sometimes this is artificial, and needs removed).  Gelbwurst has a spicy, slightly sweet taste and is great in sandwiches.

Fun fact: Gelbwurst was originally made with brains. 

Weißwürst 

It’s always fun when a newcomer sees this white sausage for the first time. The pale filling of this mildly flavored wurst is made from veal and pork. Weißwürst is a Bavarian favorite and Oktoberfest staple. But why is it white? Cured with simple table salt, the meat turns greyish-white instead of shades of pink or brown from sodium nitrite curing. Considered a breakfast food back in time, Weißwürst are usually served in pairs with mustard and a pretzel. 

Presswurst 

For something completely different, you could try this head cheese. While there is no dairy inside, you may be put off by the ‘trimmings’ that are included: flesh from the head of a pig, and all the extras from other pork butchering. These chopped items are held together with a gelatin or aspic binder to give it a nice meaty Jell-O texture. It is traditionally cooked to perfection in a pig’s bladder, to be enjoyed (if that is the correct term) by the cold slice.  

“Unlike a boiled sausage that begins with raw meat, the Kochwurst begins with cooked meats that are ground or finely chopped, seasoned and combined with a binder like blood, gelatine or bread. The mixture is stuffed into a container, which can be sausage skins or metal cans, and cooked again as a single unit. There is great variety in the texture of Kochwurst, with some gritty and others paste-like. ”

Blutwurst 

A lot of people can’t get past the fact that this sausage is made with congealed blood mixed with ground pork and fillers like barley or oatmeal stuffed into a casing and smoked. Blutwurst, or Rotwurst is available ready to eat similar to a chunky pepperoni, and often it is served sliced with bread and pickles. Every region of the world has a version of blood sausage, and Germany’s is worth a try at least once! 

Leberwurst 

If spreadable meat is what you want, then this is the wurst for you. Translated as “liver sausage,” the filling is, you guessed it, liver. Leberwurst comes in all sorts of varieties from mild to strong and spicy. It can be bought in glass jars or plastic containers, ready to spread like peanut butter, or in sausage casings that can be sliced. 

“Let’s clear this up right away: a raw wurst is cooked before you eat it. However, like a Brühwurst, the meat ingredients are raw when they are ground up, spiced and stuffed into a casing. Unlike a Brühwurst, there is no smooth homogeneous texture, and these sausages are often smoked, dried or grilled.  ”

Landjäger 

For anyone wanting a hand-held dried meat perfect for hikes, the Landjäger is what you are looking for. Hailing from the south, this sausage is sort of like a Slim Jim. It’s made from beef and pork and dried so it’s ready to eat without refrigeration. This was also considered ‘soldier food’ for German servicemembers because it was easy to transport without spoiling.  

Teewurst 

Teewurst was originally developed in Pomerania, what is now northern Germany and Poland near the Baltic Sea and gets its name from its traditional role as a snack during afternoon tea time. The filling is two parts raw pork and one part bacon that is seasoned, packed into casings, smoked and left to mature up to ten days. The high-fat content means it has a paté texture and is often spread onto bread.  

Frischwurst Aufschnitt  

This translates to fresh sausage cold cuts. Aufschnitt (cold cuts) can also refer to sliced pieces of ham or turkey that are not part of a wurst and even is used to describe cheese sliced for sandwiches. A Frischwurst Aufschnitt is less a type of sausage and more like a method of packaging for wurst that is sliceable like Salami, Schinkenwurst (ham sausage) and Polony (bologna). You can have Aufschnitt sliced fresh at the Fleischerei (or Metzgerei) and at the deli counter in a large grocery store. It can also be purchased pre-packaged. 

Bratwurst

This is the most well-known German sausage and there are dozens of different kinds, with locals being very loyal to their regional variety. “Brats” are the most popular fest food, being specially grilled over hot coals or even wood-fired and served on a roll with mustard.  

The city of Nuremberg, spelled Nürnberg in German, boasts the first historically recorded bratwurst. For over 700 years, the small Nürnberger Bratwurst have been made with coarsely ground pork and spiced with marjoram. At a fest, you order them, “drei im Weggla,” or three to a bun. There is even a Nürnberger Bratwurst Museum dedicated to this tasty sausage. www.nuernberger-bratwuerste.de 

Further north, the Thüringer Bratwurst was first mentioned in 1404. Unlike those from Nürnberg, these can be very long and stick out comically from the sides of their bun. Made with pork, beef or veal, they are seasoned with a combination of marjoram, caraway and garlic. Not to be outdone, Thüringia is home to the Deutsches Bratwurstmuseum in Mühlhausen. www.bratwurstmuseum.de 

Any type of bratwurst can become Germany’s favorite: Currywurst. Invented by Berlin homemaker Herta Heuwar in 1949, it consists of chopped wurst drenched in currywurst sauce and served with pommes (French fries). The sauce was made from ketchup and curry powder that Heuwar got from British soldiers stationed in the area. It has become a German food stand staple, served on a paper plate with a tiny wooden fork. 

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