Whether they are called Manta-plate, Schimanski-plate or Corrywoosch-frit with their best friend Pommes. The fact is: the currywurst has achieved culinary cult status and is enjoyed by all classes – whether at the corner shop with a tasty Pilsken or in a starred restaurant with a fine wine. Here is everything you should know about the Ruhrpott-Carpaccio:
Okay, admittedly. It is not quite certain that the curry sausage on the 4th day of the week is a good idea. September 1949 for the first time saw the light of day. But this is how Herta Heuwer claims it. On that September day in her Berlin snack bar, she mixed together freshly cut peppers, paprika powder, tomato paste and spices, dumped them over a sausage she had cut into pieces – and bam, the cult sausage was ready. After that, there was also the strongest evidence to date on the origin of the currywurst. In 1959, Heuwer registered the sauce she created with the patent office under the name "Chillup". "I have the patent – and that’s that. Anyone who says otherwise has a stitch".
Basta? Maybe not quite, because the hamburgers certainly see it all a little differently. Lena Brucker is said to have prepared the red sauce there for the first time two years earlier at the Grobneumarkt. She received support from the author Uwe Timm in his 1993 book "Die Entdeckung der Currywurst" ("The Discovery of the Curry Sausage"). Allegedly he ate the curry sausage himself in 1947. And, of course: The Ruhrpott also claims ownership. Sometime after the shift, somewhere between the colliery and the stollen, the sausage is said to have been eaten even back then. Anyway, away from more or less woolly lore and towards hard-hitting facts about currywurst:
In Germany, the average price is 3.70 euros. The French pay 5.63 euros, the Italians around 8 euros and the British pay a whopping 10 euros to get their fill. Speaking of getting full: The longest currywurst ever was prepared in Wolfenbuttel, Lower Saxony, in 2010. The length: 320 meters, the weight: 175.5 kilograms. A 08/15 curry sausage weighs about 120 grams and is eaten in Germany about 800 million times a year. At least that’s what the Berlin Currywurst Museum says.
That’s right, the currywurst actually has its own museum. It also includes an interactive experience tour. Visitors can slip into the role of the snack bar owner and take the perspective behind the counter. In the spice room, you can sit on a sausage sofa in the middle of the stream of sauces and discover your very own curry type at the Currymat.
Because there is no such thing as one type. While you get your currywurst served with champagne at the posh Hotel Adlon, the restaurant "Curry" in Dusseldorf goes one better and covers the sausage with a little 18-carat gold leaf. So after you’ve had it, you’re a bit more precious (which only lasts about eight hours, though).
"Curry Heinz" in Gelsenkirchen combines two classics and offers its guests the currywurst in kebab form. If you like it extremely spicy, "Die Currywurst" in Wanne-Eickel is the place to go: The strongest sauces are offered there only for adults and not over the house. There are also some unusual variations, such as the sweet and spicy mango and fig curry sauce.
A tasty Currywurst one can prepare however also confidently times in the own kitchen, if one comes fromne layer. Therefore, now three sauce recipes to celebrate the sausage appropriately and pass the time until the summer barbecue.
Recipe 1 – With honey:
Ingredients: 500 ml strained tomatoes, 4 tsp honey, 1 tbsp curry powder, 2 tsp vegetable stock, 1 tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp soy sauce.
Preparation: Mix everything together and cook on low heat ca. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Recipe 2 – With apple& Orange:
Ingredients: 250 ml cola, 250 ml orange juice, 400 ml tomato ketchup, 100 ml water, 1 apple, 1 tsp paprika powder, 3 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp vegetable broth, 1 tbsp tomato paste.
preparation: Mix the paprika, curry and chili in a deep pot over low heat so that the flavors develop. Lightly sweat on medium heat with tomato paste and a little oil. Then deglaze with orange juice and cola, add broth. Reduce liquid to less than half. Fill up again with water and ketchup, add crushed apple. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.
Recipe 3 – With Worcestershire sauce:
Ingredients: 1 onion, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 250 ml cola, 250 ml ketchup, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 pinch chili powder, 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 squeeze lemon juice, curry to taste
Preparation: Chop the onion, saute in a little oil and deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Add coriander and chili powder. Add cola and let the whole thing reduce well. Now approx. Add 2 tablespoons of Worcester sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and fill the mixture with half a bottle of ketchup. No longer cook. Add plenty of curry and cayenne pepper to taste.