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Sausage Equator's End

DW staff (sms)February 18, 2009

A rose may be a rose, but butchers in Munich haven't been willing to extend Shakespeare's metaphor to their famous white sausages outside the Bavarian capital. But a German court didn't agree.

https://p.dw.com/p/GwNm
Three white sausages about to be cooked
These weisswurste could be made in Munich or Hamburg or Berlin or anywhere elseImage: dpa

The Muencher Weisswurste need not be made within the borders set up by the "sausage equator" of the Alps and Main River as the German Patent Office had attempted, Federal Patent Court judges ruled on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Weisswurste with pretzel and beer
If you want a Weisswurste, you have to order before noon before they leave the menuImage: picture-alliance / dpa / Stockfood

The court ruled that the name "Munich" defines the type of sausage made, not a geographic boundary limiting where the sausages can be produced.

Without getting into what region makes the best white sausages, which traditionally are made from at least 51-percent veal and accompanied by sweet mustard and a pretzel, the judges pointed out that meat processing plants outside the Munich city limits currently produce 95 percent of Muencher Weisswurste.

Munich's butchers can take heart at being on the same level as Vienna's "Weiner" sausage, but have to concede to their Bavarian colleagues in Nuremberg who retain EU rights to being the sole producers of Nuernberger Bratwurst.

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