There seems to be a debate as to the spelling of this East Berlin-East German snack, with the imbiss pictured above using a double-t, whilst the company claiming to offer the original use only the one. Anyway, the DDR-hot dog is wonderful, with a slightly more seasoned sauce than the average ketchup - although anyone who claims it is spicy has German tastebuds. Basically a bockwurst with sauce, in a special hollowed out toasted roll, it is an excellent street-snack which – due to the sausage cavity in the roll – is less messy than the average kebab or bratwurst.
In researching this post – a long drawn out process that involved typing both versions of the spelling into Google – I discovered, thanks to Bad Scene, that there is a debate as to the origins of the word. The options are; because the sausages arrived at the imbisses as link sausages (Kette=chain); there is cat involved either in the process of making, or as a “clever” pun against the nasty capitalist-imperialist hot dog; or, more mundanely, that the Ketwurst is a wurst with Ket-chup. Unfortunately, Bad Scene believes the last one to be boringly true.
According to Wikipedia, the Ketwurst was invented by workers in the cafe at the TV Tower on Alexanderplatz, with the new product line being launched in 1979. The page also notes that the name was created due to Anglicisms such as “hot dog” being unpopular within the DDR at the time. Anyway, that’s all a load of sausage to me, because I just think they taste good. The photo above is taken at Schönhauser Allee, on the other side of the street from the Arkaden, or you can try the single-t version at Friedrichstrasse.
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7 Comments
March 6, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Something Freudian about that Kettwurst. What I remember from the old East Berlin was a Bockwurst with “Teufelsauce,” which was an insult to Satan. German taste-buds, indeed!
March 7, 2007 at 8:51 am
I never tried the “Teufelsauce”…sounds nasty. As for “spicy” food, I’m still yet to find a curryhouse in Berlin that can compare with leeds/bradford – any suggestions anyone? Please?
March 7, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Suggestion: don’t hold your breath.
Second suggestion: Namaste on Nostitzstr., where the guy’s mom does the cooking and if you talk English and ask nicely and promise you’ll pay for it no matter what, they might make you happy.
March 7, 2007 at 5:31 pm
One for the list. Cheers!
March 9, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Now, did you know the Alain’Snack in the picture is owned by a Frenchman? At least I think so. I occasionally call by for a bit of sausage myself, and once I was surprised to be served by a bloke who was listening to Radio France International (insert missing accents as needed) and who spoke with a French accent. I’ve since seen him around quit alot – he seems to own a “Party-Service” business nearby, and can occasionally be seen in the snack bar doing boss-like things such as taking money from the till.
March 9, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I guess it makes sense with a name like “Alain” snack…although the few times I have been there his staff have most definately been grumpy middle-aged Berliner ladies.
March 9, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Without them it just wouldn’t be that genuine Berlin sausage-snack purchasing experience. (I live sort-of-round-the-corner, and after the first couple of years you start to notice the local fixtures. The pale blue VW beetle usually parked opposite the taxi rank also belongs to Monsieur Snack – I think it’s replaced the cream-and-crimson 2CV which always used to be parked there).