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Whether or not you have tried currywurst, you will know that it is one of the most representative foods in the German gastronomic imagination. However, these sliced sausages dipped in tomato and curry sauce, accompanied by paprika-spiced potatoes, hide some unknowns such as some secret ingredients, as well as their true origins.
What has been one of the Germans’ favourite foods for more than half a century can be eaten at any time of the day from any place. From the street in a street food version to a restaurant that revisits it in a gourmet key, and serves it with champagne. There are even pop songs dedicated to it, and it has been a political issue, but how did it really come about?
There are several theories on the subject, but the one that has had the greatest impact on history is that of Herta Heuwer, the owner of a snack stall in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district. The sauce is said to have been invented by her, who ran a humble café in Berlin. One day she mixed spices, sprinkled bratwurst on top and added ketchup. The customers loved the invention.
This success led her to patent the currywurst recipe: one that would become a staple in Berlin cuisine and around the world, even though today the sellers of this dish modify the sauce according to their own vision, and add different ingredients to the ketchup.