How to Eat Weisswurst

So you’re at Oktoberfest relaxing in your Dirndl or Lederhosen in one of the large or small beer tents. Now, there’s one thing you need to know to become a true Oktoberfest aficionado, you should prep yourself on how to eat Weisswurst like a local. Don’t worry this isn’t as bad as a Ms. Manners etiquette course.

You remember what Weisswurst is, right? It’s white sausage which is made of veal, pork and spice, which are all stuffed into animal intestines. The 5 inch by 1 inch sausage pairs are placed in very hot water and slowly cooked until they adorn your plate with sweet mustard, a Brezel (soft pretzel), and a mug of beer to wash it all down—a very Bavarian breakfast indeed.

Because the Weisswurst casing isn’t normally eaten, there are several ways to eat Weisswurst, but only one way to eat Weisswurst like a local which will most certainly impress your Oktoberfest table mates.

All techniques take a near full-body engagement with a main focus on the fingers and lips. I have to admit that during my first Weisswurst eating experience, I didn’t really get the hang of it. I quickly became frustrated, despite the numerous explanations from my then German boyfriend. Like a child, he finally prepared my Weisswurst for consumption and had me literally eating from his fingers. I was so impressed with my German boyfriend’s technique, that I eventually married him. 😉

Read on to see what type of Weisswurst eater are you?

1. The Slasher
   You don’t care about rules or fitting in, you’re just plain hungry. You take your knife and slice through the sausage eating the meat and casing (which is by the way edible). You’ll finish eating your sausage quickly, so can eat more while your friends slowly and painstakingly eat theirs.
2. The Peeler
   You make a slit in your Weisswurst long ways, and then use your fingers to peel away all of the casing. Now you can use your knife and fork to slice the sausage, dip it in mustard, and eat it. Not very lady like and quite messy at that. Ms. Manners would definitely not approve.
3. The Stripper
   You hold the sausage in your hands and cut a slit on the tip of the Weisswurst. Now you peel back a portion to reveal the first inch or so of meat, and then dip and eat it. You continue this until you reach the end of the Weisswurst. You are such a tease!

   

4. The Surgeon
   This is the most popular and discreet way of eating Weisswurst. Like a well-trained surgeon, you slice the sausage long ways, carefully roll the meat from the casing with a fork and then dip and eat the meat. Ok, it looks impressive, but takes a while and most people don’t scrape enough sausage from the casing. This is my preferred method.
5. The Sucker (aka “Der Zuzler” in Bavarian German)
   First you cut an X-slit on the tip of both ends of the sausage or bite the sausage tip with your teeth. Now you bite and squeeze the meat from the skin or suck the meat from the skin. Continue on one end until you are halfway through and continue with the other half.

Now that you’ve mastered how to eat Weisswurst like a local, it’s highly recommended you try each of the techniques at home before venturing out to Oktoberfest or a Bavarian restaurant and potentially finding yourself in an embarrassing situation. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Did you master the Zuzler art of eating Weisswurst? If so, you are a hero and will impress many people and make lots of Bavarian friends. 🙂