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Currywurst in Vancouver


tokyogurumegal

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I was in Berlin last fall and had my very first currywurst after a long day of walking in Kudamm. I've read a post that had the recipe for the special curry sauce (ketchup) but I would like to know if there's a place in Vancouver that serves authentic currywurst. It's nothing fancy, just a simple street vendor food so to expect it to be served in restaurants may be silly but we do live in the era where burgers are served with fois gras filling and truffle shavings on top! One of my best currywurst experiences in Berlin was at a place called Bier's, you can order Dom Perignon with your currywurst... if it doesn't exist here, you never know it might sell!!

ahh where's the button for the fries?

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Currywurst is the most popular fast food in Germany - but virtually unknown outside of that country. I know of no one that serves it in Vancouver - though of course it is dead easy to make on your own.

You need some appropriate Weisswurst (mixture of veal and pork) - which you can get at many German butchers (Grimm, Freybe, the place at 49th and Fraser or the German sausage guy on Granville Island.) You grill this very slowly and then bathe it in a sauce of diluted tomato paste (or ketchup - though this is rather gauche) and curry powder with small amounts of cayenne, paprika and worchestire sauce added to taste. The addition and proportion of these latter three ingredients is the subject of much debate among devotees of this dish and accounts for the regional variations in the taste of this dish acoss Germany.

Most non-Germans don't understand what the fuss is all about - and in my view it is one of those foods that is so deeply rooted in the landscape and psyche of its home country - that it is probably best left there. A bit like kim-chee in Korea, or fried dough in Spain or Retsina in Greece.

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I too miss Currywurst with a vengence, moreso than anything else I had in Germany (even the beer). If you do go the make-it-yourself route, try the Weisswurst from Koni on Granville and 68th or whatever, across the street from Safeway. I have had it and it is very good. He employs an in-house butcher to do all of his charcuterie, and lo and behold, the guy is German. (He can still make a killer serrano ham though.)

Link to the Koni thread.

ETA: They only do Weisswurst on weekends, so check in on a Friday if they're going to have it ready for Saturday morning. It usually sells quickly.

Also, post #666. As Count Floyd used to say, Ooh, scary.

Edited by BCinBC (log)
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You can get Weisswurst everyday, and it's the best I've had in town (I haven't tried Koni) from the Black Forest Deli in Park Royal souths market square. There's a VERY good chance he will have a bottled curriwurst condiment, if you want to purchase it. The other place for the condiment I would try is the deli on Gilmore, just north of Lougheed. I think it's more Polish in its case products, but they have a huge variety of European imported stuff.

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The place on Gilmore is great - thanks for reminding me.

But Weisswurst can be found in many places. I have also seen it at Oyama on occasion - and Meinhard's. In Bavaria weisswurst with beer in the traditional Sunday morning breakfast.

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The subject of currywurst was bandied about last summer. Though it's well outside of Vancouver, Badiane noted that she'd found some in Chilliwack in this post. Hopefully she's done some reconnaissance since then and can provide us with more details.

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

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There is a street vendor on main just by the IGA, a german guy who sells various sausages (including bratwurst) and has suiggested I try his curry ketchup that he makes, might this be it?

:shock:

I really have to remember to check my spelling!

:shock:

Wasn't for your spelling, was for the possibility of a Currywurst right there on Main Street!

I will make my way there one day soon.

Edited to spell out my emoticon :rolleyes:

Edited by *Deborah* (log)

Agenda-free since 1966.

Foodblog: Power, Convection and Lies

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Ah, SushiCat, you are correct (tragically in this instance) - I just went down to Koni to get the scoop. Apparently the butcher somehow cut ties with one of the partners, and is no longer doing their charcuterie. If you can believe it, he is biding his time doing vegetarian (?!?) sausages somewhere until he figures out what he wants to do next. Veggie currywurst, anyone? Didn't think so.

Oddly, the butcher's wife Gerta (? I believe) is still working there, she just shaved some very nice pastrami for my lunch.

Anyway, in the meantime Zarko says he is keeping his case filled with a mix and match approach, with a lot of the good stuff (sausages and pates) coming from Black Forest Deli in Park Royal. Didn't see any Weisswurst in there today.

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  • 4 months later...

My brother picked up some currywurst from Serengeti Trading in North Van for a BBQ Yesterday. It looked like a rough sausage mix (for some reason - I was thinking that it was a smooth sausauge) and it grilled up nicely.

BUT - I did not get to taste any! It went very quickly (ungrateful guests) - so I cannot comment whether it was good or not - I've never had them in Germany so I can't to a comparisons. As Serengeti is run by Afrikaaners - it may be a a different take on this weenie.

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Oyama sausage in Granville Island sells good weisswurst and I have also seen curry ketchup there. The ketchup may be the Dutch vareity in a tall red bottle with a yellow cap. In Holland, fries and sausage with curry ketchup are also very popular. Usually the first thing I eat when I visit the family!

Stefan Posthuma

Beer - Chocolate - Cheese

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