Curious Case of German Sausages
“For the Indian palate, I will be reinventing some of these classics with chicken recipes,” he says.
Hartman is in the city till July 22 to train the chefs at Sofitel Hotel, Bandra in traditional sausage-making.
Apart from football and beer, Germany is also known for its love of sausages and the country is credited to have created nearly 500 different varieties of them. Thus, when Chef Hans Hartman, a German charcuterie specialist, with nearly 45 years of experience, was visiting the city to advise a local hotel on the subject of meats, it had to be serious business.
Hartman is in the city till July 22 to train the chefs at Sofitel Hotel, Bandra in traditional sausage-making, and introduce some German classics to the menu at Artisan, its deli and restaurant. “German sausages are very different from the pre-packaged products in the supermarket,” says Cairo-based Hartman, who left Germany more than 30 years ago. He has since travelled to countries such as Egypt, Kenya, Switzerland, Spain, Uganda, Nigeria and China with his sausage-making skills that have been meticulously honed over the years.
At Sofitel, the meat expert will be cooking home-made German sausages that will be served in sandwiches and frankfurters or can be paired with house breads at the restaurant. The sausages are often named after the regions the recipe comes from. For instance, Nürnberger Rostbratwurst is from Nürnberger Land in Bavaria and the Thüringer Bratwurst is from Thuringia in central Germany. “For the Indian palate, I will be reinventing some of these classics with chicken recipes,” he says.
While pork is the most common meat used to make sausages, the restaurant is now serving Chicken Thuringer, a mildly-spiced combination of chicken, mace and ginger, and Nürnberger, a more heady version with a mix of pork, marjoram (a citrusy herb) and nutmeg. Other varieties include Muencher Weisswurst, Beef Chorizo, Curry Wurst, Bratwurst and Knackwurst. The last two have veal as their meat element mixed with spices. “When I came here, I saw that the chefs were importing their ingredients. I suggested we use local spices that are equally good and easily available in the market,” adds Hartman, whose experience of dealing in spices in Egypt came
in handy.
Using local ingredients has also helped the restaurant cut down the prices. All the sausages on the menu are up for sale and the prices start at Rs 125 for about 150 gram. Apart from sausages, the menu also features a selection of meat loafs and cold cuts, such as Chicken Lyonner with chilli peppercorn; salami; and pork and beef loaf. “Most of our customers are well-travelled. They have experienced authentic sausages in Europe and elsewhere. With the addition of some of Hartman’s classic recipes, we can offer more choices to our customers,” says executive chef Indrajit Saha.
meenakshi.iyer@expressindia.com
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