Bayerischer Wurstsalat

Bayerischer Wurstsalat belongs to the Biergarten and the Brotzeit table, the cold meal of sausage, bread, mustard, and something sharp enough to make another bite useful. In Bavaria I make it with Regensburger or a good Lyoner-style sausage, cut into fine strips, dressed with vinegar, oil, onion, and a little pickle. No cheese. That is the Bavarian line.

The argument starts as soon as you cross regions. In Swabia and Baden you see Schweizer Wurstsalat with Emmentaler, in Alsace and the southwest there are cousins with cheese and different sausage. Fine. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. Here the sausage stands on its own, and the vinegar does the lifting.

The cut decides the dish. Slice the sausage too thick and the dressing sits outside like rain on a coat. Cut it into narrow strips and give it an hour, and the vinegar, onion, and pickle brine work into every edge without turning it sour. Das braucht seine Zeit, even when the cooking is no cooking at all.

Taste before you salt. The sausage is already seasoned, the pickles bring brine, and the onion sharpens as it sits. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss. Serve it cold with rye or a Laugenbreze, mustard at the side, and don't bury it under garnish. Schön ist, was schmeckt.