1st.
I recently had a fried bologna sandwich made with the best bologna I’ve ever tasted. It was quite spicy. The person who made it said it was “German Bologna”. I proceeded to Jungle Jim’s and bought some “German Bologna” which turned out to be nothing more then plain old bologna. Any idea what kind of bologna I might have had?
2nd.
Why is Germany known for sausages? Does Germany actually make more varieties of sausage than anyone else? If so, what cultural/economic/climatological conditions existed to make it so?
My Dad owned a small grocery store in which I worked while growing up. I remember selling both kinds of bologna. German bologna came in a larger roll and was spicier than regular.
I have no idea on why, but growing up in Cincinnati (which, at one time was 60% German, AND was the pork processing capital of the country) I’ve had lots of different types of sausage.
Metts are red/brown. There “Hamilton” metts that have mustard seeds in them.
Brats are gray (those Johnsonville brats have it all WRONG!). They are seasoned with nutmeg.
Bocks are mini brats - but there’s some tradition about having a goat at the bock festival???
Instead of bolonga, mom used to make fried thuringer (sp?) sandwiches.
Sausage is as individual as the maker, and the name seldom conveys much in the way of useful information. Try lots of different kinds and take note of name of the sausage and the maker, and pray that they stay consistent over time.
The best sausage in my area is the butcher in a regular grocery store a few miles outside of town. They never buy meat until Tuesday to ensure it wasn’t killed the week before (always fresh). There is no gristle or bone fragments, and the sausage is always very lean. They offer several different seasonings/spice. They are always sold out by Friday.
There are many different European sausage makers locally, but most of it is crap, or no better than the manufactured stuff. You really have to shop around, and then support your favourite maker(s) by remaining faithful.
Why is Germany known for a culinary tradition of guts stuffed with offal and gore? Maybe the Teutonic military tradition has something to do with it.
One sausage culture that’s diverse and very good is that of the Ukrainians. Kramarczuk’s, a Ukrainian deli near where I live, specialises in Ukrainian-style sausagemaking. Very excellent, often garlicky. You can even get eel there for something like $13.00 a pound.
Missy, Goetta was created in Greater Cincinnati’s
German immigrant community in the late1800’s.
It is a delicious blend of pork, beef, and whole
grain, steel cut oats. Goetta is traditionally
prepared like sausage patties but many people
prefer the taste of Goetta.
My grandma made the BEST goetta. Instead of just plain old ground beef and pork, she would save all the “ends” of roasts and use that, along with leftover gravy to cook the pinhead oats in. After you cook the whole mess and then let it “set” in the fridge, you then slice it and fry it to eat.
A top-notch sausage is too tasty for me to care. Can’t see the good in having nothing to point a finger at when my time comes, anyway, and meanwhile I get to indulge myself!
