Wurstsalat

While working for Digital Equipment Corp. I had occasion to make frequent trips to Germany. We had a manufacturing plant in Kaufbeuren, which is a little more than an hour’s drive southwest of Munich in Bavaria.

The whole region is beautiful as it is near the Alps and the Austrian boarder. Bavarians are, of course known for their beer and sausages. One dish I grew to like very much, is Wurstsalat (literally sausage salad). It it is perfect if you want something lighter than a wienerschnitzel but more substantial than a plate of greens.

This is a very common dish in Bavaria. You can get it in most restaurants, “bier stubes” and “bier gartens”. It is usually served with dark brown rye bread. We have been unsuccessful at finding the German sausage used to make this in the US. It is called Fleishwurst. You may be able to find it at a good German deli, but Oscar Myer Chicken and Pork Bologna substitutes for it quite well. Small German pickles (gerkins) are easier to find, but if you have any kind of good dill pickles they will work. It can be a main course, appetizer, or a side dish. We frequently have it as a light supper. If prepared ahead and allowed to rest the onions will mellow out. If you add strips of Ementhaler cheese it becomes a Schweizer Wurstsalat (Swiss sausage salad).

I remember a time Laura and I were driving back from an event in Poland. We were near Munich and it was the afternoon and we were getting a bit hungry. Laura suggested we stop at a small Gasthaus for some cake and coffee. We sat down at a nice table outside and looked at the menu. Saw they had Wurstsalat and said, “Screw cake and coffee, let’s have Wurstsalad and Beer!”

Guten appetit!