Types of German Sausages

There are more than 1,000 different varieties of sausages in Germany! Each with their own preparation, ingredients, and unique blends of spices. Sausages are nothing but cured meat cased in animal skin. Most sausages are made from pork, beef, or veal. Common seasonings include white pepper, salt, and mace. Other herbs and spices differ from region to region. The Germans savor their sausages with hot, spicy, or sweet mustard. A variety of bread like soft, dense, whole-wheat, and multigrain accompany these delicious sausages. Another favorite accompaniment is the sour and healthy sauerkraut. There are a few commonalities you should know about German wurst.

Most German sausage contains pork. Some are beef, venison, or even vegan, but pork is classic.

You can find sausage everywhere. It is a common street food <, available at sporting events, grill parties, festivals, Christmas markets, and even in fine dining.

There are three basic types: Kochwurst (cooked), Brühwurst (scalded) and Rohwurst (raw). Brühwurst is the most common with around 800 types including Fleischwurst, Bierwurst, and Zigeunerwurst.

It can also be served in a variety of ways - cold or hot, sliced or smeared.

Here are a few popular types of German sausages:

Bratwurst. When you think of German sausage, you're probably thinking of a bratwurst. Usually made from pork, the sausage has a history in Germany dating back to 1313. Bratwurst is usually made of veal, pork, or beef.

It can be cooked in beer or broth, and then pan-fried or grilled. Bratwurst is perfect kneipe (pub) food, pan-fried and cooked in beer with German classics of potatoes and red cabbage. But it is also an original German fast food, sold by grillwalkers. These industrious vendors offer their freshly cooked wurst from wearable grills in most city centers. For just 1.50, your bratwurst is served hot from the grill in a diminutive bun topped with senf? (mustard) and/or ketchup. Start with a bite of pure sausage — hanging out both ends — and work your way to the delectable center.

Blut in German means blood. Yes, this sausage is made from pig's blood, and is absolutely tasty! It is darker in color and has a spicy and salty flavor. It may contain beef along with pork, and fillers like bread and oatmeal are added as well. It can be heated but is mostly eaten cold with sauerkraut. The idea of a sausage made of congealed blood may not sound appetizing, but considering the importance of sausage to German cuisine it's only a matter of time before you eat your way to this particular wurst. Known in different cultures as black pudding, boudin noir, botifarró, the German version is made by cooking pork blood with a filler (usually bread or oatmeal) until it's thick enough to congeal when cooled. Seasoned with salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, allspice, and ginger, it appears almost black.
Weisswurst translates to "white sausage", although it is sometimes called weißwuascht in the Bavarian dialect. Traditionally it is made from minced veal and pork back bacon, seasoned with parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger and cardamom. It's prepared by heating it in water for 5-10 minutes and removing the skin. Pair it with Bayerischer süßer self (sweet Bavarian mustard) and a laugenbrezel (pretzel), or add a Hefeweizen for a full Weisswurst Frühstück. Originally weisswurst was quite perishable, meaning it needed to be eaten before noon. Modern food preparation means they have a longer shelf life, but tradition says that "the sausages should not be allowed to hear the noon chime of the church bells". Even with a limited time frame, over a million weisswurst are sold every year. The sausage also marks a symbolic barrier in the north/south divide, referred to as the Weißwurstäquator (white sausage equator).
Knackwurst, also spelled knockwurst, are short, thick sausages made of finely ground pork, flavored with plenty of garlic. The name comes from the German “knacken,” which means “to crack.” We’re assuming these sausages were named for the crackling sound the casing makes when bitten into, but it could very well be for their highly addictive qualities. Recommended served with sauerkraut and mustard. Made from veal and pork, knackwurst is a garlic-flavored sausage. It is a short, plump sausage that makes a crackling sound when bitten into, thus the name. It is traditionally smoked over wood. Tastes best when served with sauerkraut and mustard.
Currywurst. Germany’s wurst comes curry-flavored in international Berlin. Its origin story is hotly contested, but the most popular version is that the dish comes from Berlin housewife Herta Heuwer. Desperate to liven up a meager post-war diet, she traded German booze for curry powder from the English and added tomato/ketchup sauce with Worcestershire. Viola! Something familiar took on a whole new flavor and currywurst was born. The dish was an immediate hit and Frau Heuwer began selling it from a street stand to the many workers putting the city back together. The price? Just 60 pfennig (roughly $0.50).The Wurst is served it (with) or one darm (without skin), sliced up in bite-sized bits and covered in curry ketchup. Each stand has its own recipe; some more tomato-y, some sweeter, some tangy. It is usually topped with curry powder and served alongside pommes (french fries) or a roll and still only costs about €3.50. It is estimated that 800 million currywurst are sold every year in Germany. The sausage has become a symbol of the proletariat. German politicians jockey for photos of themselves at their favorite stand each election season.
Bockwurst. Traditionally consumed with — you guessed it — bock beer, bockwurst is made with a mixture of ground veal and pork, with the addition of cream and eggs. It’s flavored with mild parsley as opposed to the stronger herbal flavors of marjoram and thyme that season other kinds of sausage. Serve it with sharp, piquant yellow mustard to bring out its subtle flavor. Veal and pork are traditionally used to make a bockwurst, but right from turkey, lamb, chicken, to even horse meat can be used. In fact, there's one type of bockwurst made from fish too. It is flavored with paprika and white pepper and can be simmered or grilled. It gets its name since it is eaten with bock beer. Tastes best when served with mustard.
Cervelat, though found in Germany and Switzerland, is more popular with the Swiss. Made from beef, bacon, and pork rind, it can be boiled, grilled, or fried. It is a semi-dried sausage with a wonderful smoky flavor. It is usually eaten cold with bread and mustard. You can also enjoy it with a potato salad. Some awesome things about these sausages: “Cervelat” translates to “brain sausage,” but actual pork brains are very infrequently used nowadays. Smoky, firm cervelat is scored or butterflied on either end so the tips curl out when cooked — an age-old tradition in Switzerland and parts of Germany. Know what else? It’s made of beef, bacon and pork rinds. Just like the sausage of our dreams.

There are so many types of German sausages. Give them a try and maybe one kind will surprise you!

Reference：

https://tastessence.com/common-types-of-german-sausages

https://www.tripsavvy.com/germanys-best-sausages-4119847