Munich City Guide 2009

The Munich Weißwurst or white sausage

The Munich "Weißwurst" or Weisswurst, (White sausage) is a real Bavarian speciality. Created in Munich by a young butcher called Sepp Moser in 1857. This delicacy was discovered by accident. Wurst is the German word for sausage.

On "Fasching Sunday", (Mardi Gras) 22nd February 1857, he was working in the Munich kitchen of the restaurant "Zum ewigen Licht" next to his butcher's shop. He had used the last of the thick sausage skin used to make the normal sausages. The guests in the restaurant were waiting for their meal and shouted their displeasure.

To solve the problem he used the only other skin he had, which was thin, filling the sausage, he worried that the skin would burst open during frying, so he put the sausages in hot water for 10 minutes to cook them.

When he took the "Weisswurst" to the guests, there was some comments, but after tasting the new sausage, instead of abuse and criticism, he was heaped with praise and congratulations. The Munich "Weißwurst" was born.

The original recipe, still followed today, is lean calf meat, bacon, herbs and spices, the freshness of a lemon and parsley, the soul of the sausage.

"Weißwurst" is served fresh in hot water and should be eaten correctly. The best way to remove the skin is to slit the sausage lengthways, then using the fork to hold the meat inside, the skin is peeled off using the knife. Eaten with "Brezen" or bread rolls, sweet mustard and washed down with a Maß or Weissbier. Check out the beer section in the index.

Guten Appetit!

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