Crispy on the outside, spicy and juicy on the inside: that's how connoisseurs like their bratwurst. What makes it special? And, with ketchup or mustard?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hey guys, it's me, the Bratwurst, the original world-famous German Bratwurst, the culinary
00:13backbone of the whole nation.
00:17It just tastes great.
00:18That's the most important thing.
00:21Thuringian Bratwurst, best in the world.
00:26Freshly browned off the grill, juicy inside and crispy on the outside.
00:31That's right.
00:32Nobody can resist me.
00:34In Germany, there is no street festival, no soccer match and no Christmas market that
00:39could do without me.
00:40I'm not just piping hot on the outside either.
00:43It's the inside that counts after all.
00:46There, I'm a perfectly balanced mix of juicy ingredients.
00:50In Germany, I'm something of a superstar.
00:54It's simple, smells good, tastes good.
00:59But let's get one thing straight.
01:01I'm not just any old sausage.
01:03I'm the original Thuringian Rostbratwurst.
01:07I have around 3,600 relatives in Germany.
01:10That's how many types of sausage there are here.
01:13Many are just cold cuts, but if you want a warm belly, trust me, I'm your guy.
01:19Perfect in a row.
01:22Good luck eating a Bavarian veal sausage on the go.
01:26Nuremberg sausages?
01:28They're so small, you'll need three just to get going.
01:32And the currywurst, chopped, mutilated and drowned in ketchup, oh please.
01:38Thomas Meyer here might just be my biggest fan.
01:42He'll show you how to grill me later.
01:44But first, let's take a look at his Bratwurst Museum in Mühlhausen.
01:48It's all about me and my marvelous biography.
01:52People had to preserve meat, that was the point.
01:57They had to stockpile.
01:59Through trial and error, they came up with the solution.
02:03First, washing and salting casings.
02:06Then chopping meat, filling the casings and smoking it.
02:13Sausages are said to have originated several thousand years ago.
02:18We've been a popular street food for centuries.
02:20But I, the Thuringian Rostbratwurst, am special.
02:24I first appeared in written records in 1404.
02:28So if you ask me, I'm the oldest bratwurst in the world.
02:35At the butcher shop Barthel, my secret recipe is not revealed to just anyone.
02:40Different types of sausage have evolved throughout Germany and differ from town to town.
02:45But the basics are similar.
02:47Here, the pork is first put through a mincer.
02:51Its spices and preparation determine each sausage's distinct character.
02:56The differences may be small, but they are very important.
03:01Let's take the Nuremberg bratwurst, for example, which is smoked.
03:05That doesn't happen with Thuringian sausages.
03:08It's placed on the grill raw and roasted.
03:11And for flavor, we add a little marjoram.
03:13Bavarians never do this. They don't like the taste.
03:18Next, my filling is seasoned and chopped up finely.
03:21The filling is known as Brett, hence my surname bratwurst.
03:25Then I'm pressed into pork casings and portioned.
03:28And finally, I'm ready to jump on the grill.
03:33Here we have the Thuringian original.
03:35You can see it's in its natural casing.
03:37That's very important.
03:40Without the natural casing, there'd be no chance of catching a tan.
03:46This will take eight to ten minutes.
03:50And in keeping with street food tradition, I'm fast too.
03:58The important thing is that it can't be too hot or too cold.
04:04The best way to find out is with your hand, two centimeters above the grill.
04:09Let's say for two or three to five seconds.
04:12If it's longer, it's too cold.
04:16But if you can't hold your hand over it at all, then it's too hot.
04:20Then you have to turn and turn and turn.
04:23But not for too long. I'll burn.
04:29Yeah, that's when I'm best. Ready for my next love affair.
04:34Now all that's missing is the mustard.
04:37No. Yes.
04:39No. Mustard.
04:42Mustard!
04:47Ketchup is a no-go.
04:49Ketchup with currywurst?
04:51Currywurst in Berlin.
04:53It should be mustard. Ketchup is a sacrilege, but each to their own.
04:57How about you? Ketchup or mustard?
05:00Or maybe something different altogether?