Original Nuremberg Rostbratwursts

Nuremberg’s sausage specialty

For gourmets of all ages, the hearty original Nuremberg Rostbratwursts are best enjoyed straight from the grill. A rostbratwurst or two is also a great choice for breakfast.

With its official Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, this traditional delicacy joins the ranks of other famous specialty foods from regions across Europe, including Parma ham, champagne, and Grana Padano cheese. Rostbratwursts may only be produced within the Nuremberg city limits according to the official recipe. Alongside the EU’s PGI logo, they also bear the ‘ORIGINAL Nürnberger Rostbratwürste’ quality seal. 

The recipe for Nuremberg Bratwursts was first set down by the Council of the Imperial City of Nuremberg in 1313. From the outset, this recipe focused on high-quality ingredients (“prime pork cuts”) for the sausages.

It was impractical to keep pigs in the city itself, however, so they were generally imported from elsewhere. When regional suppliers became unable to supply large volumes of high-quality pork, pigs started to be sourced from large producers in Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland. By 1891, this was organized by Northern Bavaria’s largest livestock market and slaughterhouse in Nuremberg. Even today, each producer of Nuremberg Bratwursts selects their own individual pork supplier – who must be able to meet the required quality standards. Other key ingredients – which include sheep casings, salt, marjoram, pepper, and other spices (as chosen by the maker) – are less a result of local practice and shaped more by Nuremberg’s thriving medieval trade in spices (via Venice). 

In the EU, this culinary know-how, expertise, and long history of sausage-making in Nuremberg has been protected since 2003 by the official PGI status, which prohibits counterfeit products that lack this knowledge, skill, and tradition. This is why all of the steps to produce a rostbratwurst have to be carried out within the Nuremberg city limits.