''Bregenwurst'' (also ''Brägenwurst'') is a German sausage variety commonly served in parts of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
and
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...
.
It is traditionally made of
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
,
pork belly
Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless, fatty Primal cut, cut of pork from the Abdomen, belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in American cuisine, American, British cuisine, British, Swedish cuisine, Swedish, Danish cuisine, Danish, ...
, and pig or cattle brain, however animal brains have been forbidden in foodstuffs within the European Union since 2001, as a consequence of
BSE outbreaks.
The sausage is eaten raw or stewed, which gives it a spreadable consistency once broken from its casing. In winter it is also served with ''
Grünkohl'' (
kale
Kale (), also called leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars primarily grown for their Leaf vegetable, edible leaves; it has also been used as an ornamental plant. Its multiple different cultivars vary quite ...
).
The name ''Bregenwurst'' comes from the
Low German
Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...
word ''Bregen'' (or ''Brägen'') meaning "brain" .
[Adelung - Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart - Der Bregen]
lexika.digitale-sammlungen.de
/ref>
References
German sausages
North German cuisine
{{germany-sausage-stub