The Best of the Wurst - Germany's Famous Sausages, Hams and other Meat Products

Germans have been making sausages and hams for centuries, using methods passed down through the generations. Each region in Germany has developed different techniques, leading to numerous delicious regional ham and sausage specialties. Such regional specialties as "Thuringian Rotwurst,î "Munich Weisswurst,î ìNürnberger Bratwürstchenî or Black Forest ham are not only eaten in the regions where they originated. They have become famous and popular all over Germany, and indeed all over the world.

Depending on how they are made, sausages in Germany are called Brühwurst (scalded sausage), Kochwurst (cooked sausage) and Rohwurst (fresh sausage). There are more than 1500 different varieties of sausage nationwide, including regionally typical specialties.

There are generally two types of ham produced in Germany -- raw hams and boiled hams. Raw ham has an intense flavor, a typical red color and a long shelf life. It is cured with salt to prevent spoiling and to reduce water content. After curing the ham is smoked and/or air-dried, which improves the flavor and extends shelf life still further. The quality, and ultimately also the price, depend on how long the ham has been smoked or dried in air. A distinction is then made between Knochenschinken (ham on the bone), Nussschinken (fillet ham), Rollschinken (rolled ham) and Schinkenspeck (fatty ham), depending on the way in which the ham is cut, spiced, smoked, dried or stored.