German Meats

The value of meat on the German dinner plate goes back to several decades. It is claimed that the Romans also chastised the German tribes for their excessive meat intake.

 Sausages or sausages have been made to help conserve meat and to allow use of all aspects of the product, resulting in more than 1,500 varieties of German sausages produced today. Wursts are typically made from ground meats such as pork, veal, beef or ham combined with butter, herbs and other spices and packed into a wrapper. Clean or new sausages (Rahwurst) are sold in over 500 types and can be strong and cut (Dauerwurst or Hartwurst) or mild and spreadable (Mettwurst, Teewurst and Schmierwurst).

About 350 kinds of fried sausages (Kochwurst) are available in which the fried ingredients may be combined with flour, blood or other additives to help bring the mixture together. Liverwurst (Leberwurst) is a cooked sausage that is spreadable when cold, and has a liver content of more than 10%. Blood Sausage (Blutwurst) is made of cooked pork rind and pork blood. There are over 800 kinds of Boiled Wurst (Brühwurst), a blend of beef that is scalded in its wrapping, rendering it strong, crisp and sliceable. Bockwurst, Wiener and Würstchen are brühwurst consisting of finely ground ingredients. Bratwurst is a sausage typically made of pork that is fried or grilled in a oven.

Bratwursts are sold raw, although others are sold pre-cooked. More than 50 types of Bratwurst are available each with its own taste, seasonings, textures, reflecting a different area from Germany.

Meat consumption in Germany has persisted, as the typical German may consume up to 130 pounds of meat per year. Meats such as pork, beef, lamb and game are usually eaten. In addition to sausages, roasted meats known as "braten" and schnitzels (a breaded fried boneless meat cutlet thinned with a hammer) are often common in German food dishes.