Meraner Sausages

The region of Alto Adige, is also an area where Italian and German-Austrian taste and cuisine gave rise to a special culinary tradition and gastronomic products. Apart from the well known Speck (bacon) and Strudel, the Würstel, or sausage, is another very typical product that has its origin in German gastronomy.

The story of the sausage begins in Frankfurt, where the sausage maker Johann Georg Lahner invented the Frankfurter Würstel in 1807. Lahner then moved to Vienna and adapted his recipe to local taste by adding some beef to the mixture. The newly created Wiener was another big success. The Würstel then conquered the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire an probably reached Merano around 1870 through the Empress Sissi. When the recipe was yet again adapted to local cuisine, which is lighter and more Mediterranean, the Meraner Würstel was created.

In the early hours of the morning the sausage maker prepares a mix of choice pork and fine herbs and spices. This mix is kept fresh by adding iced spring water and then carefully processed into the well known sausages. The sausages are then cooked “al dente” and lightly smoked until they develop a golden colour with a tint of red and the typical aroma.

Especially in the area of Val Venosta, in the western part of Alto Adige, between Merano and the Passo Stelvio, the preparation of these delicious sausages is a cherished tradition. This is a quiet area surrounded by the mountains of Ortles, Cevedale and Palla Bianca, some of the highest peaks of Alto adige. Here, nature is still intact, there is comparatively little tourism and the area is populated by simple and hard working mountain people.

Traditionally, Würstel can be bought and enjoyed at sausage stands, a local institution that is found on markets, on the mountain pass of Passo Stelvio in the summer, in all the city’s squares and meeting points such as Piazza Erbe in Bolzano or Piazza del Grano in Merano, and in Silandro, the main village of Val Venosta.

Recommendations and Serving Suggestions:

Sausages keep best in the original package in the refrigerator at temperatures below +4°C. Don’t freeze sausages and observe the “best before date” printed on the package.

Würstel can be boiled and enjoyed with salads or other side dishes, served hot dog style in a sandwich with mustard or any sauce of your choice, grilled or roasted on the spit with pieces of vegetables.

Boiled sausage: heat up sausages for five minutes in almost boiling water. Microwave instructions: put sausages in a suitable dish with water and cook for approximately three minutes on medium intensity.

Grilled sausage: Grill sausages for about six minutes, turn them over frequently.