Contestant boxing showdown to decide the claim of oldest existing roast sausage
In the heart of Bavaria, the manager of the Nuremberg restaurant "Zum Gulden Stern," Sofia Hilleprandt, has issued an unexpected challenge. The target? None other than the Thuringian Sausage Museum in Mühlhausen, located in the same region but historically considered a rival in the realm of sausage history.
The crux of the matter revolves around the oldest documented sausage stand among Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Mühlhausen. Traditionally, Regensburg's Wurstkuchl, which claims to be the oldest sausage kitchen with records dating back to 1378, holds this title. However, recent historical findings from nearby Erfurt in Thuringia have unearthed a document from 1269, mentioning a meat roasting establishment possibly related to bratwurst stands. This discovery, if confirmed, would make the establishment over 100 years older than Regensburg’s claim.
The document, discovered during research into the history of the Kramer Bridge in Erfurt, mentions a hut and a sausage maker at the bridge. While it does not explicitly mention bratwurst by name, the discovery challenges the long-held belief that Regensburg’s Wurstkuchl is the oldest.
Despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of the challenge, Hilleprandt intends to clarify the question through an unconventional means: a boxing match. The exact date of this event is yet to be determined, but it will take place at the Thuringian Sausage Summit in Mühlhausen.
This isn't the first time Nuremberg has been embroiled in a sausage stand dispute. About 25 years ago, a similar controversy arose, with Regensburg presenting the oldest mention. However, the first documented evidence of bratwurst in Nuremberg dates back to 1313, while Mühlhausen acknowledges early records from 1404 referencing bratwurst casings.
Hilleprandt's challenge is based on the Thuringians only being able to prove one cook, not necessarily a sausage maker. The first written mention of a cook at the Wurstkuchl dates back to 1378, over a hundred years later than the discovery in Erfurt.
As the sausage crown hangs in the balance, the outcome will depend on how the Thuringians react to the challenge from Franconia. The boxing match has not yet been scheduled, but one thing is certain: the sausage stand saga between Nuremberg and Thuringia is far from over.
Pop-culture reveled in the unexpected challenge issued by Sofia Hilleprandt, as she proposed a boxing match to settle the dispute over the oldest documented sausage stand between Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Mühlhausen. This battle in entertainment, the Thuringian Sausage Summit, promises to add another exciting chapter to the long-standing pop-culture phenomenon of the sausage stand saga between Bavarian and Thuringian cities.
