Stippgrütze

The shop version explains the nameWurstebrei.

A slice ofStippgrützeis fried without fat.

Stippgrützefreshly served

Stippgrütze,also calledWurstebrei,is a German dish fromWestphaliawhich is similar toGrützwurstorKnipp.It consists of barleygroatscooked in sausage juices (Wurstbrühe), which are enriched with pieces ofmeat,offal,such asheart,kidneyorliverand seasoned withspicesandsalt.More rarely, finely choppedonionsare added. The cooked ingredients are minced after the juices have been poured off and a crumbly cake is left which is held together with fat and which sets on cooling. There are various recipes, but they all contain barley groats, fat and meat.

A classic recipe contains pig offal or heart, belly pork with rind, lard greaves, barley groats, water, salt, pepper,allspiceandthyme.The nutrition varies; one portion made from about 300 g of pork and 60 g of groats contains about 850 kJ.

Its relatively highfatcontent means thatStippgrützekeeps well and is oftenpreservedor frozen, so that it can be used over the winter. The season forStippgrützebegins with the traditionalSchlachtfestor country feast in October or November, when the pigs are slaughtered, and lasts until spring.

In the shopsStippgrützeis usually sold in sausage form in clear artificial casings about 12 cm in diameter. To prepare it a large piece is fried in a pan without any additional fat, until a firm crust forms on the underside, occasionally it is stirred and fried again. A sort of porridge or puree (Brei) results, hence its other name ofWurstebrei(sausage puree).

Stippgrützeis served hot out of the pan and usually consumed atdinner(evening meal) together with or on top of coarserye bread.For a main meal around midday salt or roastpotatoesare usually served with it. It is common for aStippgrützemeal to include a pickled gherkin. (Its acidity supports the digestion and palatability of this fatty meal.) Due to its high fat contentStippgrützeis also commonly eaten before enjoying alcoholic drinks.

The use of cooked offal together with coarsely-ground cereal exists in many cultures and used to be viewed as 'poor man's food'. Examples include the Scottishhaggisprepared in a very similar way fromoatsand sheep's innards or the Swedish dish,Pölsa.

External links

• Stippgruetze - German Website about the famous westphalian Groat-Sausage
• Stippgruetze on Facebook - Facebook Fansite about Stippgruetze