Currywurst - Curry Hot Dog
Image via WikipediaI admit with great shame, I am a hot dog junky! Yes,if the hot dog is spicy or sprinkled with lots of curry. Why you ask? Well it's complicated...
But did you know that a Currywurst museum is opening on August 16th, 2009 in Berlin? I can't believe I haven't been invited. As a true Berliner, born there, Berlin is where I got hooked on my first curry wurst!
The curry wurst made it's tribute in Berlin in 1940 and soon became a popular fast food with curry wurst stands popping up all over. After World War II the allies occupied Berlin and American troops introduced steak and ketchup to the Berliners. Mr. Heuwer, who had American connections came up with the idea to offer a similar dish to the citizens of Berlin. There was only one problem, steak was very hard to come by and Ketchup did not exist. A substitute had to be found and the steamed Berliner wurst was chosen. For the sauce a mix of tomato paste with lots of spices became the substitute. This new concoction then became the post war steak of the little man.
The original Berliner Curry Wurst Recipe includes:
Tomatoes or Tomato paste
Water
Currypoweder
Sweet Paprika
Worcestershire Sauce
Sugar
Salt
Chillipowder
Of course the quick version would be adding ketchup with sweet Paprika and Curry powder to a nice fried wurst.
Curry Wurst joints in San Fransisco http://www.geoffmeyer.com/kingofcurrywurst/
