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FijiFlavors · Munique
White veal sausage with bacon and parsley, warmed in hot water and served with sweet mustard and a pretzel, traditionally before midday. It is one of Munich’s best-known specialties.
Traditional dish from Munique, Baviera
Also known as: Weißwurst, Weißwurstfrühstück, Weisswurst
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Münchner Weißwurst — Munique, Germany
Münchner Weißwurst is a pale, tender sausage made from finely ground veal and pork, bacon, onion and fresh parsley. The mixture is stuffed into pork casing and the sausage measures about 8 to 12 centimeters. It is not grilled or pan-fried: it is warmed in hot water, below boiling, and brought to the table still in the water, in a bowl.
The most told story in Munich says Weißwurst was born by accident on February 22, 1857, a Carnival Sunday, in a tavern at Marienplatz. According to that tradition, butcher and innkeeper Joseph Moser ran out of the fine lamb casings he used for grilling sausages and stuffed the mixture into thicker pork casings; fearing they might burst on the griddle, he chose to warm them in water. The city’s former archivist, Richard Bauer, treated the tale as legend and noted that similar white sausages existed earlier. The 1857 date belongs to local tradition.
The custom of eating Weißwurst in the morning is its best-known aspect. A Bavarian saying goes that it must not hear the noon bells. The rule comes from the time before refrigeration: the sausage, fresh and delicate, was made early and eaten the same day. Today it is sold all day, but many people in Munich keep the morning habit.
The classic set is called Weißwurstfrühstück, the Weißwurst breakfast: two or more sausages in hot water, Bavarian sweet mustard, a pretzel (Brezn) and, for those who drink, wheat beer. The casing is not eaten. There are two ways to remove it: the traditional method, called zuzeln, is to hold the sausage with your hand and suck the meat out of the casing; the other is to cut the casing with knife and fork and release the meat.
Weißwurst is found in markets and taverns across the city, from the Viktualienmarkt to neighbourhoods, and is part of broader Bavarian culture. The name Münchner Weißwurst has no protected geographical indication: a protection request was rejected by the German courts in 2009 because much of the Weißwurst sold as from Munich was already made in other regions of Bavaria.
Munique , Baviera
Weißwurst is presented by Munich tourism as a city specialty, where tradition places its origin in 1857.
Finely ground veal and pork, bacon, onion, fresh parsley, salt and seasonings such as lemon and mace, depending on the recipe, in pork casing. To accompany: Bavarian sweet mustard and a pretzel.
Warmed in hot water, below boiling, and served in its cooking liquid. The casing is removed by sucking out the meat (zuzeln) or by cutting with knife and fork. It is served with sweet mustard, a pretzel and, for those who drink, wheat beer.
Traditionally in the morning, before noon, as a hearty breakfast or snack. It is sold year‑round.
Your questions
It’s a custom from the time before refrigeration: the sausage, fresh and delicate, was made early and eaten the same day. A Bavarian saying says it must not hear the noon bells. Today it is sold all day.
No. The casing is removed: in the traditional way, by sucking the meat out (zuzeln), or by cutting the casing with knife and fork.
Bavarian sweet mustard and a pretzel. For those who drink, the classic combination includes wheat beer.
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