Bockwurst

Overview

Bockwurst is a German scalded sausage, usually fine-textured, cured and lightly smoked, associated particularly with Berlin. It is commonly heated in hot water and served with mustard and bread.

The cut

Identity and terminology

The name is traditionally linked to Bock beer, with a well-known Berlin story connecting the sausage to the publican Richard Scholtz and butcher Benjamin Löwenthal in 1889. Whether every detail of the origin story can be proven, the pairing with Bock beer is central to the name's cultural meaning.

Composition and characteristics

German Bockwurst is generally made from finely comminuted pork and beef or veal, with curing salt, white pepper, paprika and mild aromatics. It is usually enclosed in a sheep casing and has a reddish exterior, fine elastic cut face and gentle smoke.

Production and process

After fine comminution and stuffing, the sausages are reddened, smoked and scalded. They are sold cooked and are reheated gently rather than boiled hard, which can split the casing and force out fat.

History and regional forms

Bockwurst emerged in the urban sausage culture of late nineteenth-century Berlin and became a standard snack in pubs, railway stations and street food. German food guidelines now place it among fine, reddened small-calibre scalded sausages, helping distinguish it from fresh American bockwurst.

Use, storage and related products

It is served hot with mustard, bread or potato salad and often with beer. It is related to Knackwurst and Wiener sausages but is usually plumper and more mildly seasoned. The American uncured branch is a separate Atlas entry.