Sausage is the general category — seasoned minced meat in a casing. Bratwurst is one German type, usually pork or veal, finely ground and mildly spiced, made to be fried or grilled. Every bratwurst is a sausage; almost no sausages are bratwurst.
The core difference
- sausage — the category: ground meat, fat, salt and seasoning, usually in a casing.
- bratwurst — a German sausage of pork, veal or beef, finely textured, seasoned gently with nutmeg, ginger, caraway or marjoram depending on the region.
The name
German Wurst means sausage. The first element is generally traced to Brät, finely chopped meat, rather than to braten, to fry — though the association with frying is strong enough that the second folk etymology is very widespread.
The regional versions
Bratwurst is not one recipe. Germany has scores of protected regional types:
- Nürnberger — small, marjoram-heavy, traditionally served in threes in a roll
- Thüringer — longer, coarser, caraway and garlic
- Coburger — traditionally grilled over pine cones
The other German sausages worth separating
- Weisswurst — white veal sausage, poached not fried, traditionally eaten before noon and with the skin left uneaten
- Bockwurst — smoked, usually boiled
- Currywurst — a preparation rather than a type: sliced sausage with curried tomato sauce
- Frankfurter — thin, smoked, the ancestor of the hot dog
Why the categories matter when cooking
Raw sausages like bratwurst need cooking through; pre-cooked ones like bockwurst only need heating. Treating one as the other is the usual cause of a burnt outside and an undercooked middle.
Frequently asked questions
Is a bratwurst a sausage?
Yes — bratwurst is one German type of sausage, usually pork or veal, finely ground and made to be fried or grilled.
Does "brat" mean fried?
Probably not originally. The name is generally traced to Brät, finely chopped meat, though the association with braten, to fry, is a very common folk etymology.
What is the difference between bratwurst and weisswurst?
Weisswurst is a pale veal sausage that is poached rather than fried, traditionally eaten before noon, and its skin is not eaten.