Currywurst

Lore & Background

She mixed these ingredients with other spices and poured them over grilled pork sausage. Heuwer started selling them at a stand in Charlottenburg, where it became popular with construction workers rebuilding the devastated city. Today, currywurst is often sold as a take-away food, Schnellimbisse (snack stands), at diners or 'greasy spoons,' on children's menus in restaurants, or as a street food and usually served with chips or bread rolls (Brötchen). It is popular all over Germany but especially in the metropolitan areas of Berlin, Hamburg and the Ruhr Area. Considerable variation, both in the type of sausage used and the ingredients of the sauce, occurs between these areas. Common variations include the addition of paprika or chopped onions. Halal and kosher food stands often prepare currywurst with beef sausage. Often currywurst is sold in food booths, sometimes using a special machine to slice it into pieces, and served on a paper plate with a little wooden or plastic fork, mostly a currywurst fork. It is sold as a supermarket-shelf product to prepare at home.

Reader's Guide

Currywurst holds a significant place in German culinary culture as a widely consumed fast food dish. Its invention by Herta Heuwer in post-war Berlin reflects the resourcefulness of the era, using ingredients obtained from British soldiers. The dish became a staple for construction workers rebuilding the city and later spread across Germany, with regional variations in sausage and sauce. The dish has also entered popular culture: former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is a noted fan, and by tradition every candidate for mayor of Berlin is photographed at a currywurst stand. The Volkswagen plant at Wolfsburg runs its own butchery, producing about 7 million Volkswagen currywursts per year.

Did You Know?

• Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder called currywurst the 'power bar of the skilled factory worker'.