It Was the Wurst of Times and the Best of Food: History and Meal Plans
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German sausage is more than food. It is history, craftsmanship, family tradition, and a very good reason to gather around the table.
It Was the Wurst of Times and the Best of Food: History and Meal Plans takes readers on a flavorful journey through the remarkable world of German wurst. Drawing upon family traditions, cultural history, and a lifelong appreciation for Pennsylvania German cooking, Dr. Gregory Hepner explores the origins, ingredients, regional differences, and enduring appeal of 22 distinctive sausages from Germany and neighboring German-speaking regions.
From familiar favorites such as Bratwurst, Frankfurter Würstchen, Knockwurst, and Weißwurst to lesser-known specialties such as Ahle Wurst, Pinkel, Teewurst, Landjäger, Rotwurst, and Zungenwurst, each chapter introduces a sausage with its own personality and story. Readers will learn how geography, climate, agriculture, trade, social class, and the need to preserve food shaped centuries of sausage-making traditions. The book also explains why some wursts are grilled, others smoked, boiled, fermented, dried, sliced, or spread generously on fresh bread.
History is only the beginning. Each sausage is accompanied by three approachable recipes, recommended side dishes, and carefully selected beer and wine pairings. With more than 60 meal ideas, readers can prepare comforting classics such as bratwurst with sauerkraut, Weißwurst with pretzels and sweet mustard, Leberkäse with fried eggs, Mettwurst and kale stew, sausage and potato gratins, rustic sandwiches, savory tartlets, hearty soups, pasta dishes, skillets, salads, and charcuterie platters.
The book also reflects the author’s personal connection to traditional food preparation. Raised in the rural Appalachian Mountains among his Pennsylvania German grandparents, Dr. Hepner learned from a world of wood-fired cooking, expansive gardens, home-raised animals, smoke-curing, canning, pickling, drying, and annual family butchering days. His memories give the book warmth, authenticity, and an appreciation for an earlier generation whose careful use of every ingredient represented both necessity and respect.
Whether you are a devoted sausage enthusiast, a home cook seeking new meal ideas, a traveler fascinated by German culture, or someone who simply believes dinner should come with a good story, this book offers an engaging combination of culinary history, practical recipes, cultural insight, and humor.
Discover the stories behind the sausages, prepare memorable meals, choose the proper beer or wine, and bring the warmth of German hospitality to your own table. Guten Appetit!
It Was the Wurst of Times and the Best of Food: History and Meal Plans takes readers on a flavorful journey through the remarkable world of German wurst. Drawing upon family traditions, cultural history, and a lifelong appreciation for Pennsylvania German cooking, Dr. Gregory Hepner explores the origins, ingredients, regional differences, and enduring appeal of 22 distinctive sausages from Germany and neighboring German-speaking regions.
From familiar favorites such as Bratwurst, Frankfurter Würstchen, Knockwurst, and Weißwurst to lesser-known specialties such as Ahle Wurst, Pinkel, Teewurst, Landjäger, Rotwurst, and Zungenwurst, each chapter introduces a sausage with its own personality and story. Readers will learn how geography, climate, agriculture, trade, social class, and the need to preserve food shaped centuries of sausage-making traditions. The book also explains why some wursts are grilled, others smoked, boiled, fermented, dried, sliced, or spread generously on fresh bread.
History is only the beginning. Each sausage is accompanied by three approachable recipes, recommended side dishes, and carefully selected beer and wine pairings. With more than 60 meal ideas, readers can prepare comforting classics such as bratwurst with sauerkraut, Weißwurst with pretzels and sweet mustard, Leberkäse with fried eggs, Mettwurst and kale stew, sausage and potato gratins, rustic sandwiches, savory tartlets, hearty soups, pasta dishes, skillets, salads, and charcuterie platters.
The book also reflects the author’s personal connection to traditional food preparation. Raised in the rural Appalachian Mountains among his Pennsylvania German grandparents, Dr. Hepner learned from a world of wood-fired cooking, expansive gardens, home-raised animals, smoke-curing, canning, pickling, drying, and annual family butchering days. His memories give the book warmth, authenticity, and an appreciation for an earlier generation whose careful use of every ingredient represented both necessity and respect.
Whether you are a devoted sausage enthusiast, a home cook seeking new meal ideas, a traveler fascinated by German culture, or someone who simply believes dinner should come with a good story, this book offers an engaging combination of culinary history, practical recipes, cultural insight, and humor.
Discover the stories behind the sausages, prepare memorable meals, choose the proper beer or wine, and bring the warmth of German hospitality to your own table. Guten Appetit!
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