Ingredients
Sausages
- 8Weisswurst, from a German butcher
To cook
- water
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- süsser Senf, sweet Bavarian mustard
- Brezn, fresh pretzels
- Weissbier, wheat beer
Equipment
- a pot large enough that they are not crowded
- a thermometer, ideally
To serve
- in the water, in a tureen, before noon
Directions
- Bring the water to a boil, then take the pot off the heat entirely and let it drop below simmering before the sausages go in. The target is around 70 to 75°C, hot but with no movement in the water at all.
- Let them stand in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Keep the pot off the heat, or on the very lowest setting, and check with a thermometer if you have one. They are ready when they are heated through and floating.
- Bring them to the table in a tureen or bowl with their hot water, and let people take them out as they eat. Serving them in the water keeps them hot and keeps the casings from drying and toughening, and it is how it is always done.
- Serve süsser Senf, the sweet Bavarian mustard, and nothing else. A hot mustard is genuinely wrong here and Bavarians will tell you so.
- Serve fresh pretzels alongside and a Weissbier. It is served from early morning until noon in Munich beer halls, and after that most places stop.
Technique
- The noon rule comes from a real problem before refrigeration and is now observed by custom.
- The skin is never eaten.
- Sweet Bavarian mustard is the only correct accompaniment.
Substitutions
- Any fresh white veal sausage from a German butcher.
- There is no real substitute for the sweet mustard.
Variations
- Eaten by zuzeln, sucking from the casing.
- Cut lengthways and rolled out of the skin.
- Served with a pretzel and Weissbier, which is standard.
History
First made in Munich in 1857 at a Marienplatz inn; unsmoked and unpreserved, it had to be eaten before the noon bell.
Frequently asked questions
What is Weisswurst?
Weisswurst is a breakfast from Germany: bavarian white veal sausage with sweet mustard, eaten before noon. First made in Munich in 1857 at a Marienplatz inn; unsmoked and unpreserved, it had to be eaten before the noon bell.
How long does Weisswurst take to make?
Weisswurst takes 10 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Weisswurst?
Yes, within limits. Any fresh white veal sausage from a German butcher. There is no real substitute for the sweet mustard.
