Döner Bratwurst

A strange article from Der Spiegel

06/18/2009

INTEGRATION SUCCESS

Introducing the Döner Bratwurst

It is said that the way to someone's heart is through the stomach. Could integration follow the same path? A German butcher has just announced his newest creation: the döner bratwurst.

In countries like Germany where sausage dominates the culinary offerings, there is one golden rule: Never, ever ask what's in a wurst. There is, after all, a distinct chance that you won't like the answer.

Döner kebab? Sausage? Or both?

One German sausage meister, however, has recently broken that rule -- and has done his part to promote German-Turkish integration in the process. He has come up with a brand new product: the döner bratwurst.

The new product is made completely from veal and is stuffed into a casing made of sheep's intestine, thereby avoiding pork out of respect for Muslim dietary restrictions. "One can eat it alone with ketchup or in a pita with salad just like a regular döner," inventor Stefan Voelker told the tabloid Bild. Voelker, the report says, is fond of creating new sausage variations in his free time.

And he might be on to something. Germany has long been looking for new ways to help integrate its Turkish minority. Döner kebabs have long been a staple of German youth as they stumble home from the bar in the wee hours. A neighborhood barbeque with döner sausage may be just the thing to help bring Turks and Germans together.

cgh

The question is, what took it so long? After all, Currywurst has been around for nearly 50 years.

Anyway, the logic of the article is a bit simplistic. As if a fusion dish could make people mix socially. Australia's variation to the Italian pizza is the ham and pineapple, and misnamed Hawaiian wasn't created to help Italian Australians mix. Rather it was a bastardisation of pizza that no Italian in their right mind would eat.