Sizzling, smoked or sour: this German region is obsessed with sausages

Franconia might just be the star of Germany’s sausage scene. Craftsmen dedicate their lives to creating sausages, either following centuries-old recipes or creating new ones.This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller .

At Zum Gulden Stern, the speciality is Nürnberger bratwurst, a pork sausage that, as per its EU protected geographical indication, must be no longer than 9cm, weigh no more than 25g, and have been produced within Nuremberg’s city limits to a traditional recipe, stipulated by the city’s butchers’ guild in 1497. Compliance is strictly monitored. The key ingredient is a hefty dose of marjoram, which gives the meat its signature flavour.

Another of the city’s few remaining classic bratwurst houses is Bratwursthäusle bei St Sebald. Sausages have been grilled here since 1312, and the tradition’s still going strong. Men sit at high tables outside, guzzling the signature rotbier as visitors try to gauge how many sausages is too many; as tradition dictates, they’re sold by the half-dozen . I order two dozen, along with potato salad, a pretzel and a glass of riesling.

“We have a strict recipe,” says Ralf, sternly. “There must be no ingredients in it that aren’t natural. No artificial flavours, additives or phosphates. Only natural spices and meat.” The composition is roughly 80% pork and bacon and 15% beef, with the remainder made up of fresh egg, a touch of lemon and seasonings such as salt, pepper and nutmeg.

My next destination, Hof, is a place that’s as much about the spectacle as the sausage. The tradition of the wärschtlamo — the ‘sausage man’ in local dialect — dates back to 1871, when sausages were first sold on the street here. The goal was to bring sausages to the people, rather than relying on foot traffic to the butcher. In Hof’s old town there’s a wärschtlamo on nearly every block, identifiable by their coal-fired brass cauldrons filled with an array of sausages.

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