German sausages were developed in the 1400s, more than 400 years before the first Oktoberfest. The word “bratwurst” comes from the Old High German words “brat”, meaning without waste” and “wurst”, which means “sausage.” In medieval Germany, sausage was the ultimate zero waste food—meat scraps spiced up, mixed together and served a whole new way.
Which is probably why there were consumer protection laws in place for sausage lovers, even then. Sausage makers had to use only the purest, unspoiled meat, and if they didn’t, they had to pay a fine of 24 pfennigs -- a full day’s wages.
Bratwurst is made with pork and/or veal, and a blend of spices that might include nutmeg, ginger, caraway and sage. Every German region has different recipes for doing it their own way, and at T&C, we have ours. Come check out Our Own brats, which we make right here in-house with super-fresh, purely high quality pork. No fine-paying required, ever.