Alpen Edelweiss - finest alpine delicacies
Weisswurst mit Brezen und süssem Senf, Weisswurst rinkeleillä ja makealla sinapilla, Weisswurst med kringlor och söt senap, Weisswurst with pretzels and sweet mustard

Weisswurst – Bavarianize yourself

The Weisswurst history and legend

This sausage is a Munich delicacy. Bavarians eat their Weißwurst breakfast never after 12 noon . Traditionally it is served with sweet mustard, pretzel and a wheat beer (yes, in the morning!). According to the legend, the Weisswurst was created on February 22, 1867 in the restaurant “Zum Ewigen Licht” on Marienplatz in Munich. Butcher Joseph Moser (called Moser Sepp) invented it by accident: the Weißwurst was the result of a misfabrication of originally planned veal sausages. The white sausage is made from veal, pork back fat, cooked calf’s head meat, ice snow and cooking salt. It is seasoned, for example, with parsley, pepper, lemon or onion – depending on the recipe. Moser ran out of sheep intestines, so he sent his apprentice out to get new ones. When he subsequently returned with pork casings instead of sheep casings, Moser filled the light sausage meat into the pork casings. He twisted off the sausages and scalded them in hot water because he feared that the sausages might otherwise burst. They are actually not cooked, but brewed. The water should not hit the cooking point (at 100 degrees), the sausages would otherwise break and open into the water.

The Weisswurst is no lightweight

The Weisswurst is not a light food for a breakfast. Additional sweet mustard, a Brezn and the Bavarian wheat beer makes it a quite hefty early morning meal. But if you plan to hike a mountain, or be outdoors the whole day, it makes a solid nutrition base for your day plans, without the need of an additional lunch. This delicacy is actually nothing to eat for beginners, you need some experience to buy the “best version” of it. Here in Munich, we have competitions of the old butchers, where every year the best Weisswurst is chosen by a jury and various test eaters. This is also a part of the legend and the tradition and is well celebrated by the Munich citizens. To know about the best butcher for this year is part of Munich’s general knowledge and exceeds the boundaries of city gossip. Be prepared and gain some experience levels on how to eat this traditional sausage with our insider tips and instructions below 🙂

The dos and dont’s with eating it

  • No Weisswurst after 12 am! Back in the days there were no fridges and the sausages were made in the early morning and could not be stored.
  • Never “cook” a Weisswurst, you have to brew them. See the preparation instructions below! They are sold precooked already, so do not worry.
  • A Weisswurst cannot be bought in a supermarket (although they would be available). They should be bought at a butcher, most supermarket versions do not even contain calf meat.
  • A Weisswurst has to be accompanied by a wheat beer (for the real Bavarians), sweet mustard (Hausmachersenf) and a Brezen.
  • Depending on the region, they have to be sucked out and not eaten with fork and knife. So,you should not be surprised if you see Bavarians eating them with their hands.
  • Unlike all other sausages, you buy them in single pieces and not in pairs! For example “Zwei Weisswürste” and not “Ein Paar Weisswürste”.
  • The skin is never eaten. Either you suck them out (Bavarian “zuzeln”) or you peel the skin off with a single long side cut without cutting the sausage itself.

The preparation of the Weisswurst

Bring water to a boil in an appropriately sized pot – depending on the number of white sausages. Sometimes, broth with parsley is used instead of water, depending on the region.

Then remove the pot from the heat and carefully place the white sausages in the water. Let them brew for about ten to twelve minutes. Do not put the pot back on the stove flame.

After ten to twelve minutes, remove the Weisswürste from the pot and serve with sweet mustard.

Enjoy the real Bavarian breakfast!

As additional read, we recommend The Champagne Weisswurst of Toni Holnauer.

POST A COMMENT