Bockwurst facts for kids

Bockwurst is a special kind of German sausage. It's usually made from ground veal and pork, with more veal than pork. This makes it different from another German sausage called bratwurst.

Bockwurst gets its yummy taste from salt, white pepper, and paprika. Sometimes, cooks also add herbs like marjoram, chives, and parsley. In Germany, bockwurst is often smoked to give it an extra flavor.

This sausage was first enjoyed with a type of strong beer called bock beer. In places like Bavaria and Berlin, you could buy it when bock beer was available. Today, you can find bockwurst all year round across Germany. It's sold in butcher shops, restaurants, snack bars, and even gas stations.

Bockwurst usually has a natural casing. People often cook it by simmering (cooking gently in hot water) or steaming. You can also grill it. It's best not to boil bockwurst. Boiling can make the casing split, which doesn't look very good and can make the sausage lose its flavor.

A common way to eat bockwurst is with mustard and a bread roll. Sometimes, it's served with potato salad on a plate. You might also find it right inside a bread roll, topped with mustard. In some parts of Germany, bockwurst is even served with potato soup.

In America, bockwurst is also made from veal and pork. However, the American version often looks and tastes more like the Bavarian Weisswurst. It usually doesn't include parsley.

History of Bockwurst

The first time "Bockwurst" was mentioned was in Bavaria in 1827. But there's a fun story in Berlin that says it was invented there in 1889. This story credits a restaurant owner named R. Scholtz from Berlin with creating the sausage.