The Currywurst

On a brief weekend break in Berlin, some time ago, I decided to investigate the national treasure that is the currywurst. A simple sliced hot pork sausage with curry tomato sauce; of which there are in the region of 800 million servings sold per year in Germany alone. Prior to the trip I did some online research and set myself the objective of finding my favourite. The ladies at Curry 36 would definitely not win any awards for friendliness but in my opinion their currywurst was the pinnacle of what Berlin had to offer. They're a bit out of town but worth the trip. Their address is Mehringdamm 36, 10961 Berlin.

According to Wikipedia the currywurst was invented in Berlin in 1949, after a woman named Herta Heuwer obtained tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and curry powder from British soldiers. She combined the lot, gave it a stir, chucked it over some hot pork sausages and the rest is history. In 2009, in Berlin, a museum was opened in honour of the dish, celebrating the 60th anniversary of its creation.

My Currywurst

Ingredients:

- some good quality German pork sausages
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp medium curry powder and a bit more when serving
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- salt to taste

Method:

- heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook slowly until soft
- add curry powder and paprika and cook for another 2 mins
- add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and salt and bring to the boil, stirring well
- reduce the heat to low and simmer for a further 20 mins
- cook sausages according to instructions on pack
- blend the sauce until smooth, then strain through a sieve
- pour hot sauce over sausage and shake on some curry powder
- eat with a crispy roll or some hot chips (french fries)