The recipe for Nuremberg sausages has remained unchanged since 1313
The residents of Nuremberg are so proud of this invention dating back to 1313 that they even decided to create the Museum of Nuremberg Grilled Sausage (Museum Nürnberger Bratwurst). According to Deutsche Welle, the first visitors were recently able to admire its exhibition.
On an area of 100 square meters, photographs, documents, antique dishes, butcher's axes, cleavers, meat knives and other items illustrating the more than 700-year history of Nuremberg sausage are presented. Information is also provided about the subtleties of preparation and the recipe of the delicacy, which has been under special EU protection since 2003 – along with products such as French champagne, Parma ham, Kalamata olives, Roquefort cheese and a number of other goods whose origin can be traced to a specific geographical point.
Nuremberg sausages are made in accordance with strict rules established in the so-called "Meat Decree" back in the 14th century. For example, only lean fillet part of a pork carcass must be used for their production, from which medium-coarse minced meat is made. The main seasoning used for it is marjoram.
This minced meat is used to fill thin sheep intestines up to 15 millimeters in diameter, then the resulting sausages must be boiled and then grilled. They are served with sauerkraut, potato salad or with bread and horseradish, and it is recommended to wash down the delicacy with dark beer.
According to a decree of the Nuremberg city council adopted in 1313, only butchers specializing in pork were allowed to make sausages. Quality was strictly controlled. There was a separate position for conducting inspections, called "sausage controller" (Würstlein). Sausages that were not prepared well enough were thrown into the Pegnitz River along with other waste – much to the chagrin of residents of neighboring Fürth, located slightly downstream.
There are various versions as to why Nuremberg sausages are so small. One of the most charming stories goes like this: in the Middle Ages, the city gates were tightly locked at night, and innkeepers secretly traded sausages that were bought by those who did not manage to get into the city before dark. The sausages were passed through the keyhole in exchange for thalers. To make them fit through, they were made so small.
According to another legend, sausages were illegally obtained by prisoners of the Nuremberg prison, who were fed by relatives. The delicacy was passed to the inmates through holes specially drilled in the walls. For this reason, the Nuremberg prison was supposedly called "holey" in those days.
According to a more realistic explanation, in the 16th century meat prices began to rise sharply, and producers in Nuremberg were forced to make sausages smaller and smaller – while the price remained the same. That is why they became so small.
But no matter which version appeals to a guest of Nuremberg, upon arriving in this charming Bavarian city, they must try the legendary local grilled sausages. By the way, in 2022 it will probably be possible to do this at the Museum of Nuremberg Grilled Sausage itself, where they plan to set up a barbecue area. Negotiations with the city on this are already underway.
Incidentally, the new museum in Nuremberg is not the only one in Germany that pays tribute to sausage. First, a similar museum opened in 2006 in the Thuringian village of Holzhausen. It is called the First German Museum of Grilled Sausages (1. Deutsches Bratwurstmuseum). Three years later, the German Currywurst Museum (Deutsches Currywurst Museum) opened in Berlin. And in 2011, in the Bavarian city of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, the Bavarian Museum of Butchery and White Sausage (Bayerisches Metzgerei- und Weißwurstmuseum) also appeared.