Currywurst

Currywurst is a fried pork sausage sliced and served in a spiced curry-ketchup sauce. It is one of Germany's best-loved street foods, widely credited to Herta Heuwer in Berlin in 1949 (other origin claims exist) and now sold at Imbiss (snack) stands nationwide — famously with a side of chips.

What it actually is

A pork sausage — usually a bratwurst, with or without skin — is fried or grilled, then sliced into bite-sized rounds. It is covered in a warm sauce of tomato ketchup, curry powder and paprika, and finished with a final dusting of curry powder on top.

How it's served

• With chips (Pommes) — the classic pairing, with mayo or more ketchup.
• With a bread roll (Brötchen) to mop up the sauce.
• On its own in a paper tray with a little wooden fork.

Writing it on a menu

• Say whether the sausage is mit Darm (with skin, snappy) or ohne Darm (skinless) — regulars have a preference.
• Note the heat level of the sauce; some are mild, others sharp.
• It is not halal or vegetarian by default, but a veggie or vegan sausage version is easy to flag if you offer one.
• Ready-made curry sauces and spice mixes often contain mustard and celery, and the sausage or sauce may contain wheat, so check the labels; a bread roll adds wheat. The sausage is usually cured with nitrite curing salt, which is an additive, not one of the 14 allergens.