# Bratwurst
A **bratwurst** (German: *Bratwurst*) is a fresh German sausage made from finely ground pork, often mixed with veal, seasoned with a warm-spice blend anchored by marjoram, and filled into a natural casing, then cooked by grilling or pan-frying before eating[1](https://scienceinsights.org/what-makes-a-bratwurst-a-bratwurst-explained/) • [2](https://www.bmluk.gv.at/themen/lebensmittel/trad-lebensmittel/Fleisch/Fleischprodukte/bratwurst.html). The name covers a family of regional varieties rather than a single recipe, with nearly 50 different sorts recorded in Germany alone[3](https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/lebensmittel/wurst/index.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | Fresh link sausage of finely ground pork, often with veal, seasoned with marjoram and mace, in a natural hog casing[1](https://scienceinsights.org/what-makes-a-bratwurst-a-bratwurst-explained/) |
| Etymology | English "bratwurst" first attested 1904, from German *Bratwurst*; *Brät* means lean, finely chipped meat, from Old High German *brato*[4](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bratwurst) |
| Earliest German record | 20 January 1404: an Arnstadt convent account lists 1 Groschen for casings for bratwursts[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/) |
| Varieties | Nearly 50 different sorts in Germany, including Thüringer, Nürnberger, Coburger, Fränkische, and Hessische[3](https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/lebensmittel/wurst/index.html) |
| Nürnberger size | About 7 to 9 cm long and 20 to 25 g each, much smaller than other German sausages[6](https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-wurst-varieties-in-the-world) |
| Shelf life | Traditional Nuremberg bratwurst is sold fresh, generally lasting the day of production and the following day[7](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/bratwurst) |
| Safe cooking | Uncooked sausages with ground pork, beef, lamb, or veal should reach 160 degrees F (165 degrees F for ground poultry)[8](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat-catfish/sausages-and-food-safety) |
## Etymology
The English word entered print in 1904, borrowed from German *Bratwurst*[4](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bratwurst). Within German, the first element is usually traced to *Brät*, meaning lean meat finely chipped, from [Old High German](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-high-german) *brato* (12th century), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning roast flesh; a popular alternative derivation from the verb *braten* (to roast) is also widespread[4](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bratwurst) • [9](https://www.turismoalemania.com/de/essen-in-deutschland/bratwurst).
## History
Sausage itself is ancient. The Bratwurst Museum's chronology cites Homer's *Odyssey* (book 20, line 25) as the first written evidence, describing Greeks roasting goat and pig stomachs filled with fat and blood over glowing coals, and a bratwurst recipe in the first Roman cookbook of Apicius[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/).
The German documentary record begins in the medieval towns. The earliest dated entry is from 20 January 1404, when the accounting book of the Arnstadt Jungfrauenkloster recorded the expenditure of 1 Groschen for casings for bratwursts[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/). In 1432 the Weimar butchers' guild issued an ordinance for brat, liver, and other sausages, described as something like a purity rule, and in 1470 an Esslingen ordinance required that only pure pork be used for bratwursts[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/). The Coburger Bratwurst first appears on a menu of the Georgenspital in 1498, and a [Nuremberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/nuremberg) butchers' guild recipe follows in 1595[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/).
The first printed recipe for Thüringer Rostbratwürste appeared in the *Thüringisch-Erfurtisches Kochbuch* of 1797[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/). [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://www.edgepedia.org/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe), around 1800, described the bratwursts of Nuremberg as seasoned with marjoram and slightly smoked, and had them sent by post from Nuremberg to Weimar[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/). Later milestones include the first Olma-Bratwurst, a veal bratwurst, made in [St. Gallen](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-gallen), Switzerland, in 1943, and the first Mainfränkische Meterbratwurst (Sulzfelder) by Lorenz Stark in 1952[5](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/).
## Regional varieties
Germany holds nearly 50 distinct bratwurst sorts, each with its own ingredients, proportions, and rules[3](https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/lebensmittel/wurst/index.html). Well-known named varieties include the Coburger, Fränkische, Hessische, Norddeutsche, Nürnberger, Schlesische, and Thüringer[3](https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/lebensmittel/wurst/index.html). The Thüringer Rostbratwurst is a long, thin sausage roasted over charcoal, with references dating to the early 1300s in the Franconian region[10](https://www.tastingtable.com/1277974/regional-varieties-german-bratwurst-explained/). The Coburger and Fränkische bratwursts are governed by regional regulations[11](https://sausageatlas.com/en/sausage/bratwurst). Smaller towns preserve their own kinds, such as the Treuchtlinger Bratwurst, still made in handcraft butcheries and a fixture of regional festivals[12](https://www.genusserbe.bayern.de/357703/index.php).
**Nürnberger Bratwürste** are the most formally protected. European Union recognition of the name cites the centuries-old tradition of production in Nuremberg, a long-controlled quality standard, and the unusual small shape[13](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2013%3A272%3AFULL). The sausages measure about 7 to 9 cm and weigh roughly 20 to 25 g each[6](https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-wurst-varieties-in-the-world). Traditional Nuremberg bratwurst is sold fresh, with a shelf life of generally the day of production and the following day, two days in total[7](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/bratwurst).
## Preparation and serving
Bratwurst is cooked for consumption by grilling or by frying in fat, and is traditionally served either with bread and mustard or with potatoes and sauerkraut[2](https://www.bmluk.gv.at/themen/lebensmittel/trad-lebensmittel/Fleisch/Fleischprodukte/bratwurst.html). It is eaten across every setting of German social life, from Christmas markets to football stadiums[11](https://sausageatlas.com/en/sausage/bratwurst). Sliced grilled bratwurst with curry sauce is the basis of the currywurst, a Berlin fast-food institution[14](https://apnews.com/article/efab9358aa0da30d6491d985085409a2).
Because most bratwurst is a fresh, uncooked sausage, food safety guidance treats it like other raw ground meat: uncooked sausages containing ground beef, pork, lamb, or veal should be cooked to 160 degrees F, and those containing ground turkey or chicken to 165 degrees F[8](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat-catfish/sausages-and-food-safety).
## Production notes
Recipes vary by region and even locality, with many of the best-known kinds originating in [Franconia](https://www.edgepedia.org/franconia), Thuringia, and adjacent areas[15](https://www.na-t-ur.com/productinfohoreca23.pdf). A well-known Thuringian-style bratwurst is made only from pork, commonly of 75 to 80 percent lean meat, minced with a 5 mm blade[16](https://ibf.iuh.edu.vn/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/G.-Feiner-Meat-Products-Handbook_-Practical-Science-and-Technology-Woodhead-Publishing-in-Food-Science-Technology-and-Nutrition-2006.pdf). One production problem specific to the type is bacterial souring of the raw meat emulsion in bratwursts that contain fresh onions, which are high in pyruvic acid[16](https://ibf.iuh.edu.vn/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/G.-Feiner-Meat-Products-Handbook_-Practical-Science-and-Technology-Woodhead-Publishing-in-Food-Science-Technology-and-Nutrition-2006.pdf).
## References
1. [What Makes a Bratwurst a Bratwurst, Explained, ScienceInsights](https://scienceinsights.org/what-makes-a-bratwurst-a-bratwurst-explained/)
2. [Bratwurst, Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Österreich](https://www.bmluk.gv.at/themen/lebensmittel/trad-lebensmittel/Fleisch/Fleischprodukte/bratwurst.html)
3. [Lebensmittel: Wurst, Planet Wissen](https://www.planet-wissen.de/gesellschaft/lebensmittel/wurst/index.html)
4. [Bratwurst, Etymology, Origin & Meaning, Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bratwurst)
5. [Geschichte der Bratwurst, Bratwurstmuseum](https://bratwurstmuseum.de/geschichte/)
6. [37 Wurst Varieties Ranked, TasteAtlas](https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-wurst-varieties-in-the-world)
7. [Bratwurst, an overview, ScienceDirect Topics](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/bratwurst)
8. [Sausages and Food Safety, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat-catfish/sausages-and-food-safety)
9. [Bratwurst: Was es ist, Geschichte und wie man es isst, Deutschland Reisen](https://www.turismoalemania.com/de/essen-in-deutschland/bratwurst)
10. [10 Regional Varieties Of German Bratwurst, Explained, Tasting Table](https://www.tastingtable.com/1277974/regional-varieties-german-bratwurst-explained/)
11. [Bratwurst, recipe and history, The Travels of the Sausage (Sausage Atlas)](https://sausageatlas.com/en/sausage/bratwurst)
12. [Treuchtlinger Bratwurst, Genusserbe Bayern](https://www.genusserbe.bayern.de/357703/index.php)
13. [Commission Implementing Regulation on the entry of Nürnberger Bratwürste in the register of protected geographical indications, EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2013%3A272%3AFULL)
14. [Underappreciated outside Germany, will the currywurst win new fans at Euro 2024?, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/efab9358aa0da30d6491d985085409a2)
15. [Original Bratwurst, product information, N.A.T.UR](https://www.na-t-ur.com/productinfohoreca23.pdf)
16. [G. Feiner, Meat Products Handbook: Practical Science and Technology, Woodhead Publishing, 2006](https://ibf.iuh.edu.vn/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/G.-Feiner-Meat-Products-Handbook_-Practical-Science-and-Technology-Woodhead-Publishing-in-Food-Science-Technology-and-Nutrition-2006.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Dishes, foods, and foodstuffs › Cured, fermented, and preserved foods*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license