Traditional German Specialty: Munich's White Sausage (Weisswurst)

The hotel in which I stay , on my frequent trips to Munich , routinely serves these every morning at breakfast . I got hooked on them thirteen years ago on my first visit . Going back for two weeks this October ( after Oktober Fest ) Looking forward to Weisswurst again for breakfast , and Bavarian State Opera in the evening .

I’m in, great video. I missed them on our last trip, but won’t on our next.

Not my favorite wurst, but I’m sure that one gets used to it if eaten enough. Like many European sausages they have a different texture than those sold in the U.S.

The hotel that we use east of the centre of Munich serves them for breakfast on Sundays.

When near Frankfurt we stay at a hotel (the Dorint) in Oberursel and eat at the Alt-Oberurseler Brauhaus which serves them throughout the week. Many a time I've really enjoyed them in mid afternoon in the biergarten. (they do other good stuff, too)

When it comes to eating Münchner Weißwurst (Munich white sausage), the real star of the show is the sweet mustard (Händlmaier and Develey are the main brands). Here's my golden rule: you can absolutely enjoy sweet mustard on its own anytime, but you can never, ever eat Weißwurst without it. Enjoy!

I have never seen Weisswurst grilled. It has a different casing, that you usually peel off. Thus, it is served at breakfast (or traditionally any time before noon) in a ceramic dish of hot water, and you peel it. There are lots of different kinds of white bratwurst that of course are grilled, but this is not the same thing as the Weisswurst. Sweet mustard is served with Weisswurst, not the spicy hot stuff.

The Main river is often called the Weisswurst Equator, especially in border Bavarian towns like Aschaffenburg. (Which used to be in Hessen)
Though you can certainly buy it almost anywhere in Germany from a good butcher, or head to any Paulaner restaurant and they have it on the menu.

Händlmaier and Develey are the main brands

(Süss)

I shop for Händlmaier whenever I am in Germany, bring home to the UK several large jars and a couple of squeezy bottles for ease of use and refillability.

We use it on all sorts of things where it should not be used - I know that mittelscharf should be on bratwurst (I don't eat currywurst) - but we douse it in Süss. Krakauer too. And bockwurst. We eat a lot of wurst in the year, generally grilled on the gas BBQ for 16 minutes. Unless winter, then warm water.

So tell me about Develey please. Is it also from Regensburg? Can you compare the two?

oh, for the record, I am a fan of sucking the white miracle sausage, but sometimes use a knife and fork to peel it, and have to do that for my wife.

YUM

I have yet to find decent Weisswurst in the UK. Doesn't mean I have given up though.

"Munich" sausages and "Bavarian" sausages. But they can be found elsewhere around the country as well

The ingredients of Münchner Weißwurst are defined by the butchers' guild, whereas the farther north you go in Germany, the more products are sold as “Weißwurst” based on the motto: “It looks like Weißwurst; the taste is still being worked on.”

So tell me about Develey please. Is it also from Regensburg? Can you compare the two?

Develey is a large Munich-based company with over 2,000 employees, while Händlmaier is a traditional family-owned company with about 100 employees. Personally, I prefer Händlmaier, since i think it tastes spicier. My American family in Princeton agrees, so over the years I’ve developed into a mini-importer of Händlmaier to the U.S. ;)

I am no Feinschmecker, had no idea that mustard brands might matter. But yes, it has always been a nice sweet mustard, served with a pretzel as well, and the mustard portion was always too tiny for my liking.

@Jo: Thinking back now, I think you are right about the grilling. Those grilled "Weisswuerste" I once had were probably NOT authentic Weisswuerste. The venue was an outdoor Lake Tahoe "Oktoberfest", roughly 20-25 years ago, so the fat little guys that came off the grill there, while resembling the real thing, were likely undersized Bratwuerste posing as Weisswuerste, made by who-knows-who. They were quite good though.

They should be eaten Sunday before the 10:00am church bells ring. Simple to cook. Bring water to a boil, drop the Weißwurst in and cover. Turn off the heat and let sit 10 -15 minutes. Don't let them split! Serve in the warm water as they get cold fast. Händlmaier Senf, a Bretze and a Weißbier. The about 10 remaining small Metzgerei in my town all have slightly different recipes, but basically the same. Get them fresh! Yea, me like an idiot my first tour in Germay grilled them over Charcoal. Na ja.

Fritz , I just ordered a jar of Handlmaier Senf from Amazon. Since true Weisswurst seems unobtainable in the states ( Although , I haven't made a concerted effort to find it ) I'll probably substitute some Nathan's frankfurters as a replacement . Fortunately I'll be back in Munich soon !!

Try the German Sausage Company in Phoenix. They now ship www.germansausageaz.com. I have been a customer since 1986. It bugs me that I passed the store for 4 years without going in. And it was only a block away from where my girlfriend ( now wife ) lived !

Thanks for the link ( pun intended ) I wont tell my cardiologist about this ;-)

Fortunately I'll be back in Munich soon !!

Steven, I’m in Munich a lot, but never for Frühschoppen, so I have to rely on what my Munich colleagues say on the subject. So, according to them, the best Weißwurst is at the restaurant at the Großmarkt, though that’s quite out of the way. Second place goes to the Augustiner Bräustuben on Landsberger Straße (easily accessible from the S-Bahn station Hackerbrücke). That’s where the brewery is located —please don’t confuse it with the overly touristy Augustiner Keller or the Augustiner on Neuhauser Straße. At both places, the rule still applies that the Weißwurst must be made in the morning and eaten by noon — or, as we say in Bavaria: “The Weißwurst must not hear the noon bell.” And if you don’t want to drink alcohol first thing in the morning: Augustiner Hell non-alcoholic is one of the few that tastes (almost) like real beer.

Fritz , Many Thanks ! The Senf arrived yesterday , We had it on some ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches . I'm about to order more , it is a hit !!

I have yet to find decent Weisswurst in the UK. Doesn't mean I have given up though.

@Nigel - Try https://sausageman.co.uk/. They're a German sausage importer in the UK and they also supply the German embassy in London so if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. I've been buying from them for years, love the krakauer and I've currently got some weisswurst in the freezer.

didn't know about them... thanks for a great lead. looks very positive.

They say they are in Farmfoods too. I'm just heading off to see if that's so. Have one just 8 miles away, have never been inside.

well that didn't go all too goodly.

sad.

Today was my first and last visit to Farmfoods. One frost covered pack of 4 small bratwurst hiding under a 70 piece bag of lincoln sausage. Not Sausage Man as advertised, a group called Sausage Haus. Not inspiring.

I'll never get that hour back.

So it will be the online ordering for me.

I wonder if I can collect.

That's a shame Nigel. I know my brother found some genuine Sausage Man krakauer sausages in his local Farm Foods once. However, like you, I've never been to one so I can't corroborate if they're a regular feature. I'd stick to ordering online.