A bratwurst is a sausage composed of pork, beef, and sometimes veal. The name is German, derived from Old High German brätwurst, from brät- which is fine chopped meat and -wurst, sausage. Though the brat in bratwurst describes the way the sausages are made, it is often misconstrued to be derived from the German verb "braten", which means to pan fry or roast. Etymology aside, frying and roasting are far from the most common methods of preparation. Bratwurst is usually grilled and sometimes cooked in broth.

The original German "bratwurst" probably comes from the region of Thuringia, where it is traditionally known as Thüringer Rostbratwurst. Small bratwursts originate in Nuremberg, Germany; the more common longer, thicker form can be found almost anywhere else in Germany.

In the United States, bratwurst (colloquially known as "brats") are usually eaten on a hot dog bun or a hardroll, topped with mustard and/or many of the other condiments often eaten with hot dogs. These may include ketchup, onions (grilled or raw), pickle relish, sauerkraut, and others. The bratwurst is occasionally served as a pair of links nestled in a buttered hardroll with these same toppings; this is called a 'double brat'. Another serving variation of the bratwurst, particularly common in Novi, Michigan, is to serve it in a sausage bun with a melted slice of Pepper Jack cheese; this is often referred to as a 'Jack Brat'.

Within the US, bratwurst, while not strictly a regional cuisine, is strongly identified with areas of the US where German and other Northern European immigrants settled in large numbers, like Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which is informally known as the "Bratwurst Capital of America". The city celebrates "Sheboygan Bratwurst Days", a community festival held on the first Thursday through Saturday of August each year. Bratwurst is especially popular in a region stretching from Chicago, Illinois up through Wisconsin into Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin is also a center of bratwurst appreciation. Johnsonville Foods, the nation's largest bratwurst maker, is based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Other traditional Wisconsin brat manufacturers include Klement's Sausage Company and Usinger's, both of which are based in Milwaukee.

The city of Madison, Wisconsin, holds an annual festival billed as the "World's Largest Brat Fest". The four-day charity event sees tens of thousands of brats sold by "celebrity" cashiers, usually local television, radio, and government personalities. Brat Fest's self-proclaimed world record is 189,432 brats consumed during the 2004 event.

Another town with German-American roots is Bucyrus, Ohio, which is known for its unique recipe incorporating caraway seed. It holds a bratwurst festival annually in mid-August attracting over 100,000 visitors annually. A Bucyrus-style bratwurst is served split on a rye bun with sauerkraut, mustard, and chopped white onions.

Anyone ordering a bratwurst in the United States, particularly in the midwest, is likely to receive the aforementioned Bucyrus-style brat, which is about 1" in diameter, is brown-red in color and includes spices and caraway seed.

• The "Wurstkuchl" in Regensburg, Germany is the oldest bratwurst-restaurant still existing. It was established shortly after 1146 and has been serving Bratwurst to dock workers. Today it mostly serves as a tourist attraction but still roasts bratwurst the traditional way.

• A bratwurst mascot can be seen racing around the field following the sixth inning of all Milwaukee Brewers home games in the Sausage Race. The race pits several varieties of Klement's Racing Sausages against one another, including a hot dog, an Italian sausage, a Polish sausage, and a chorizo sausage (added in 2006).

External links

• World's Largest Brat Fest
• Bratwurst recipe of 60% Pork, 40% Veal and spices
• Bratwurst recipe of veal, pork fat and spices
• Bratwurst recipe of at least 75% lean pork, 25% lean beef and spices
• First German Bratwurst - Museum (auf Deutsch)
• Thüringer Bratwurst (auf Deutsch