Friday, February 20, 2009

Braunschweiger

Does this look good to you? This tube with the mysterious name “Braunschweiger” emblazoned across the front?



No?

Perhaps it would look better in sandwich form?



No?

Perhaps it would look more appetizing if you knew that braunschweiger is a smoked liver pâté?

Okay, I fully realize that I’ve revolted 99% of you, but I have a confession to make. I’m completely addicted to the stuff. Have been since childhood. It’s just the sort of product that most sane people turn their noses up at. It’s liverwurst, but even worse. It’s smoked and mushy and all sorts of wrong.

To make braunschweiger, pig livers get mashed up with other unmentionable pig parts and spices and probably some things I don’t really want to know about. It’s very German. And I’m okay with that. Anthony Bourdain would totally approve.

I’m a German American. Like Kurt Vonnegut. Or Herbert Hoover. My mother was born in Germany and my father has close familial ties with Das Mutterland. So, I grew up with all sorts of oddball German/Eastern European foods. Knödel... Black Forest anything... Rouladen...

But I fully realize that braunschweiger sounds utterly revolting. I’d probably be revolted too if I hadn’t grown up eating it. It’s wrong and delicious and awful and awesome. And if you’re ever hanging out with me, just ask for some braunschweiger between two slices of Bavarian rye. You might become addicted, too.

10 comments:

  1. lol, looks good to me, i love liver wurst! :)

    and the real world is seriously overrated.

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  2. 1. upset that I am not the first commenter...the internent bully in me.
    2. I love chicharones, which are fried pigskins and as my wife puts it "farts in a bag"
    3. I may have to try Braunschweiger sometime.

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  3. You had me at "I'm a German American." I must try it!

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  4. You had me at "I'm a German American." I must try it!

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  5. since im all vegetarian i will not be eating this tubed meat. lol

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  6. You're right it is good. However when I ate it those serving me were smart enough to NOT tell me what was in it. Now I'll never eat it again, thanks, lol!

    One of my best friends in high school, her mother is from Germany. I love german food.

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  7. LOL this is great! All 4 of my grandparents were off the boat German. I grew up with Braunschweiger, rouladen, kale and pinklewurst, etc. If it weren't for the fact I've been a vegetarian for 14 years, I would totally be digging into that liverwurst right now.

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  8. The Mean Bookstore GirlFebruary 23, 2009 at 3:10 PM

    If people give you too hard a time, just accuse them of being "first-world" elitists. Plenty of people in most of the rest of the world eat all kinds of parts of critters (inclusing insectoid ones) we normally wouldn't touch. And they like it. Who are we to turn our noses up at perfectly good food?

    Now saying that, of course, I would like to be put in the "no way am I eating that" category.

    :D I'm okay with my hypocritism sometimes.

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  9. I grew up on "weird" Armenian food and got made fun of at school for my strange lunches growing up. One of the things that we eat that no one else seems to is raw ground beef. It's actually really yummy!

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  10. Well if Anthony is OK with it! can you tell I'm catching up on my reading? Looking at that did not help the wrinkles on my face but I suppose everything is worth tasting once or twice.

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