What Is the Difference Between Bratwurst and Knockwurst?
A bratwurst is a sausage made from finely minced pork and beef. A knockwurst, also spelled knackwurst, is a sausage made from all beef and flavored with garlic.
Knockwursts are usually short and stubby. They are sometimes smoked. A knockwurst is cooked by heating it in hot water. Traditionally, a knockwurst is served with sauerkraut and hot potato salad. The German word “knack” means “snap.” The original name “knackwurst” refers to the juicy “snap” made by the special, natural casing when the sausage is bitten. The vowel was changed to an “O” for the American market.
Bratwurst is usually grilled and served on a piece of bread or hard roll with sweet German mustard. It can also be eaten with curry ketchup to make it a currywurst. There are many different types of bratwursts depending on the spices and amount of different meats used to make it.
The name “bratwurst” comes from the old German word “brät,” which described finely ground filling. The umlaut over the “a” later disappeared from the word. Other common types of German sausage include the Nürnberger rostbratwurst, the blood sausage, the frankfurter, the bregenwurst, the landjäger, the leberwurst, the leberkäse, the teewurst, the gelbwurst and the weisswurst.
