Though it’s only the middle of September, Oktoberfest officially begins this weekend. Over six million people will be attending Munich’s annual beer bash which goes on for 18 days. Oktoberfest has spread across the globe, with major celebrations taking place in such diverse places as Brazil, Australia, China, Argentina, Japan, South Africa and Hong Kong, as well as in many cities across America.
The tradition of Oktoberfest began in 1810 as part of the wedding celebration of Princess Therese to Ludwig Karl August, the crown prince and future King of Bavaria. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the five-day wedding celebration of food, drink and music, which culminated in two-mile horse races. The event was held in a grassy field outside the Munich city gates dubbed Theresienwiese (Theresa Meadow), which has remained the site for the world’s largest Oktoberfest celebrations, now in its 188th year.
Over the years, Oktoberfest has grown from five days to more than two weeks. The festival traditionally ended on the first Sunday of October, so the starting date was moved to mid-September to take advantage of the longer days and warmer temperatures.
Munich’s Oktoberfest has become more a celebration of German beer and food than the marriage of a prince and princess. The festival kicks off with a 12-gun salute followed by the ceremonial tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer. By the end of the fest, nearly 7.7 million liters of beer will have been consumed. And while the beer is certainly the center of attention, food is a very important part of the festivities. The festival’s tents and food stalls serve up such things as spit-roasted chickens, beer-braised pork, pretzels and a wide variety of sausages. One of the most popular, and uniquely German street food treats, is the currywurst.
A currywurst is a grilled bratwurst cut into bite-sized pieces, topped with curry ketchup, and dusted with curry powder. Nearly a billion currywurst are sold each year. Its origin is attributed to Herta Heuwer, who was working as a trümmerfrau (rubble woman), helping to clear the destruction in the British military sector of Berlin after the Second World War. Somehow she managed to get ahold of curry powder and Worcestershire sauce from the British soldiers, and ketchup from the Americans. Seeking a flavorful alternative to bland post-war rations, she developed a spicy condiment that could be served over grilled pork sausages. Heuwer started selling the cheap but filling snack at her street stand, where it became wildly popular with construction workers rebuilding the war-torn city. At her peak, she was selling nearly 1,500 currywurst a day. She obtained a patent for her sauce under the name “Chillup.” Under German patent law, she did not have to disclose the exact recipe, so she kept it secret and took it with her to her grave in 1999. Kraft Foods unsuccessfully tried to acquire the patent. An interesting bit of trivia: the Wolfsburg Volkswagen plant has an in-house butchery program that produces 7 million currywurst a year to feed its employees.
Today currywurst are available in food stalls and many restaurants across Germany, served in a paper food tray with a little wooden currywurst fork. They are usually accompanied by fries or brötchen, small bread rolls. Currywurst can be enjoyed any time of day, but they are especially popular as late-night drunk food.
Curry Ketchup can be found in many international grocery stores or from Amazon, but making it from scratch is quite easy, and it spares you from all the unhealthy food additives and high-fructose corn syrup or refined sugar found in commercial versions.
German bratwurst are different from the bratwurst typically found in the Midwest. German bratwurst are a mild-flavored, fine-textured mixture of veal and pork and they are usually pre-cooked. Wisconsin bratwurst are made with more coarsely ground pork and are usually sold raw.
Currywurst
Herta Heuwer’s original curry ketchup recipe remains a secret to this day. Copycat versions abound. This one is a good approximation.
Makes about 2 cups
For the curry ketchup
Makes about 1 cup
1 tablespoon avocado or canola oil
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons yellow curry powder, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup tomato passata or purée
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
e sausages
6 German-style bratwurst (See note below)
1 tablespoon avocado or canola oil (if pan-frying)
Preparation
Prepare the curry ketchup: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a deep saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until softened, but not browned. Stir in the curry powder and tomato paste and cook briefly. Add the tomato passata or purée, balsamic vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 to 20 minutes. If it becomes too thick, thin with a little water.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Alternatively, purée with an immersion blender. Taste for seasoning and add salt, vinegar or honey as needed. Blend in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a steady stream.
Prepare the sausages
With a sharp knife, make 8 shallow crosswise cuts about ¾-inch apart along the length of each sausage to allow steam to escape as the sausages cook. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Lightly brown the sausages on all sides. Alternatively, direct-grill on a barbeque over charcoal or gas.
Following the cuts along the sausages, separate into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle with the curry ketchup and sprinkle with additional curry powder.
Guten appetit!
This article appears in Fall Home & Garden 2023.
