9783869065557 leseprobe

English

Dominik Seifert Christoph Rudholzner

A Guide to

ng »Everythi you need !« to know structions

g 8 in … Includineat Weisswurst, how to Weissbier, how to pour uagecourse ng Bavarian la etc.

Allitera

Weisswurst

Contents Introduction (First things first)

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The Legend

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What is Weisswurst? 4 Preparation 6 The Art of Serving

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How to Eat Weisswurst 7 The indispensable companions of Weisswurst 16 How to pour Weissbier 18 Last but not least

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Introduction (First things first) This is Anton or Dohne [dō'ne] as we say in Bavaria and he will guide you through this booklet.

Dohne loves Bavaria, its traditions, its people, the language and, of course, its cuisine. Dohne is Bavarian born and bred and you can tell – not only because of his Wamp’n, i.e. his beer gut, but also by looking at his daily routine.

It goes without saying that Weisswurst [ˈvaɪs̯ ˌvʊʁst], Brez’n (pretzels) and a pint of beer is part of everyday life for Dohne, who was born and raised south of the so-called Weisswurst Equator, which separates Bavaria from the rest of Germany (i.e. south of the river Danube, in Old Bavaria) – specifically before 12 noon. »What the Prussians up north call brunch, we call Weisswurstfruhstuck. The only differences are that our brunch tastes better and that we are smarter than they are.« So Dohne is Bavarian and follows his traditions. But what are the different techniques to eat a Weisswurst? The various techniques described in this book will provide a comprehensive guideline for both Prussians and guests from all over the world.

Firstly though, let’s find the answer to the fundamental question: What is this slippery white thing, looks as though it has never seen a ray of sunshine?

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The Legend

What is Weisswurst?

On 22.02.1857, Joseph »Sepp« Moser, butcher at the Munich inn »Zum ewigen Licht« inadvertently came up with the first ever Weisswurst. After he had run out of sheep intestines for his bratwurst, he had to make do with pig’s intestines, which then were considered too big and tough as sausage casings. Instead of frying the sausages, he threw them into hot water in case the casing might burst if fried.

Weisswurst is a light grey to whitish boiled sausage made from finely ground veal (at least 51%), nowadays also pork and bacon, as well as a number of other ingredients including salt, pepper, parsley and onion. The light colour results from the fact that the meat, from which all tendons and

And voilà, that is how a great delicacy was invented!

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cartilage have been removed, is not cured. Added to this is the so-called Häutelwerk [ˈhɔɪt̯ lv̩ɛʁk], a mixture of boiled pork rind and parts of the head and connective tissue of veal. It must not exceed a maximum proportion of 10% of the sausage mixture. The mix may contain no more than 30% fat, and is then, as we have learned already, filled into casings made from pig’s intestines.

These are twisted off to form sausages that measure around 10-12cm in length and weigh in at between 80-100g. The result is one of Bavaria’s most popular foods.

On a very useful side note: A little calorie count 3 pints Weissbier (approx. 45 kcal per 100 ml) 675 kcal 3 Weisswursts (approx. 280 kcal per sausage) 840 kcal 2 pretzels (approx. 260 kcal per pretzel) 520 kcal 2 portions of mustard (approx. 20 kcal per portion) 40 kcal Total calories 2075 kcal Dohne is 53 years old, 1.75m tall, weighs 95kg and as such needs about 2300 calories per day.

Perhaps he should think again before ordering the fourth pint on an average day, especially when he looks at the time, only to find out that it’s only just gone noon …

Did you know?

3000 decent Weisswurst breakfasts provide the calories necessary to jog around the globe.

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Prepatation Weisswursts are prepared by warming them up in hot (not boiling!) water for about 10-12 minutes. At a temperature of about 70 °C, there is no risk of the sausages bursting, which would entail a loss of flavour and also make it difficult to peel off the skin. Usually, the cooking liquid is seasoned with salt and parsley and briefly brought to the boil, prior to removing the pot from the hob and putting the sausages into the hot, but no longer bubbling liquid.

Another delicate matter: the so-called Opferwurscht (sacrificed sausage) is only recommended if the number of Weisswursts to be prepared is quite high and may be considered somewhat wasteful. A Weisswurst is split lengthwise and heated together with the cooking liquid to saturate it with the sausage flavour, thus preventing a loss thereof when heating the other sausages.

The cooking liquid itself is not to be consumed! It is only in particularly 6

remote mountain valleys in the Alps that it is still being used as an emetic or a nauseant to remedy upset stomach.

History An old saying states that Weisswurste must not hear the church bells’ noon chime. This piece of advice is commonly used as a legitimate excuse for an early break and dates back to an era before the invention of modern refrigeration. It refers to the fact that the sausages should be consumed shortly after being made, given that they are unpreserved and as such should be consumed soon after their manufacture. Another interpretation of this famous phrase claims that the sausages were served to tradesmen early in the day, meaning that by lunchtime, there’d be space for wealthier dining guests at the pub.

The Art of Serving

How to Eat Weisswurst

Traditionally, Weisswursts are eaten mid-morning, preferrably during a Fruhschoppen [ˈfʀyːˌʃɔpn], the Bavarian morning pint, with sweet mustard, pretzels and Weissbier.

In authentic restaurants and pubs, the sausages are not served on a plate, but in a ceramic pot filled with the hot cooking liquid to prevent the sausages from cooling down too quickly.

Foreword: Exceptions prove the rule, however the casing of a Weisswurst is generally left over.

How to Order If you order Weisswursts by the pair, you might find yourself being either corrected or ignored. Weisswursts are ordered by the piece, so for example »3 (Stuck) Weisswurste, bitte!« Sides or condiments such as sauerkraut or ketchup are an absolute no-no and considered an offence if noticed by nearby locals.

There is no need to order sweet mustard – it is always served on the side as standard.

Depending on the technique, the following instruments are useful: Hands (essential!)

Fork Knife On the following pages, eight wellknown and recognised techniques will be explained in detail and through illustrations.

Choose your favourite technique!

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1

1.

The classic: »Zuzln« (Sucking) (Quite often, the sausage is turned over half way to avoid the “sucking canal” of the sausage skin from getting too long).

2.

3.

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