Nurnberger Rostbratwurste
SavouryNov to Dec
Nürnberger Rostbratwürste suit anyone at the Christkindlesmarkt who wants a hot lunch in one hand, and the trade-off is that three finger-length sausages make a small meal. The protection association's classic method grills them over a beech-wood fire.
Where to eat Nurnberger Rostbratwurste
- Nuremberg ChristkindlesmarktNuremberg
Bratwurst stalls stand across the Hauptmarkt and change places every year.
These are small pork sausages, about the length of a finger. German Wikipedia gives 7 to 9 cm and 20 to 25 g each in a 15 mm casing, and the protection association rounds the length to 9 cm. The seasoning is salt, pepper and marjoram, and the classic way to cook them is over a beech-wood fire, though the association says the pan and a simmering broth work too.
The EU registers both Nürnberger Bratwürste and Nürnberger Rostbratwürste under one PGI, and only sausages made inside Nuremberg's city limits to the fixed recipe may carry the names. German Wikipedia says the city set that recipe in a council committee decision on 18 March 1998. The association traces the city council's interest in sausage quality back to 1313. Small sausages that look the same may be sold elsewhere, as long as Nuremberg stays out of the name.
On the Christkindlesmarkt the Bratwurst stalls move every year. The market brought in a rotation in the 1990s so that no trader holds the best pitch for good. The market's tour of local originals sends you to a stall whose butcher makes the sausages in his own shop to the recipe set by the city. Nuremberg also has a Bratwurst museum, open since November 2021 on the Trödelmarkt.
Worth knowing
- Ask for drei im Weggla and eat it on your feet; it's the quickest hot meal on the Hauptmarkt.
- Look for the stall again in a new spot if you come back next year, because the Bratwurst stalls rotate.
Quick answers about Nurnberger Rostbratwurste
What does drei im Weggla mean?
Drei im Weggla is Franconian for three in a roll: three Nürnberger Rostbratwürste in a bread roll, the standard way to eat them at a stall.
Can Nürnberger Rostbratwürste be made outside Nuremberg?
No. The name is an EU protected geographical indication, and only sausages made inside Nuremberg's city limits to the fixed recipe may use it.
How do you order Nurnberger Rostbratwurste?
At a market stall, ask for drei im Weggla: three sausages in a bread roll, eaten standing up. The protection association spells it Weckla. At a table in a Bratwurst kitchen, order six or twelve with sauerkraut.
When is Nurnberger Rostbratwurste in season?
Nurnberger Rostbratwurste: All year in Nuremberg, and on the Christkindlesmarkt from 27 November to 24 December 2026.