Behold, the Bratwurst
These small sausages pack a lot of flavor. Here’s how to unlock it.
We all love brats — the Bavarian sausages that traveled across the Atlantic to become a staple of the American South during BBQ season.
Made from ground pork with marjoram — a piney herb more commonly used for tea than cooking in modern times — brats are typically pre-cooked and need only be heated until steaming-hot for reasons of food safety, as Listeria bacteria may be lurking in the meat.
Sources differ on the exact origins and meaning of the name.
While there’s no disagreement that “Bratwurst” comes from the Old German Brätwurst, and that “Wurst” refers to sausage or mixed meat, the “Brät” part has been interpreted in two ways — some say it means “meat without waste,” whereas others argue it’s actually about the process of frying.
There is no doubt that Bratwursts, like all other sausages in the Middle Ages, had humble beginnings. Sausages were a means of using up every part of the animal.
The “lesser cuts,” as they were known, were ground, seasoned with salt, herbs, and spices, then encased in the pig’s intestines before being cured for preservation or cooked for immediate consumption.
