Why is the local pair of Frankfurters in Frankfurt called Wiener Würstchen? Where did the hot dog originally come from? What is called a sausage in a robe?
A special, but “little treat”, can be found at the “Würstelstand”, a kind of fast food with a philosophical character, where many a “guy” of the Danube metropolis likes to meet for a chat. From the Hofrat to the simple worker, people stand side by side and enjoy their Würstel, in whatever form it takes.
The pair of Frankfurters has a history that is specific to the federal capital, but has “German roots”. The German butcher family Lahner ran their business in Vienna between 1804 and 1867.
The eldest son, Johann Georg trained as a butcher in Frankfurt am Main and initially developed sausages with “belly of pork and core bacon” for the citizens of his hometown, a very filling and high-calorie meal that was a bit too coarse for the more sensitive Viennese taste.
Therefore, he devised a finer meat mixture of roasted pork and beef, which he stuffed into sheep intestines. Intestines from sheep because they are thin and soft. When consumed, these dissolve easily in the stomach. The sheep intestines were also called “saitlings”, which have a diameter of 22 to 24 cm.
The pair of frankfurters weighs 120-140 grams and the length of the meat product is 12 cm. Sometimes they are longer. In the preparation are cooked in water at 75 degrees, then cooled in the same water and smoked.
The famous “Sacherwürstel” are a variety of the “Frankfurter Würstel”, which Johann Georg Lahner developed. Another method of serving “Frankfurters” is called “Frankfurters in a robe” and was allegedly (written evidence does not exist) invented in Vienna in 1906. The Frankfurter sausages are offered in a pastry shell.
In the U.S., this dish was first presented at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1892 on the Austrian stand. Americans liked the “Frankfurter in a robe,” which they sooncalled the “hot dog .” This soon developed into a kind of popular food.
But this also existed in Europe in the second half of the 18th century. The “hot dog” clearly has roots in Vienna. The younger brother of Giacomo Casanova, Franceso appreciated this
“Primal Hot Dog” immensely. It was his favorite food, which he enjoyed to the fullest.
Time Travel Tip: The Bitzinger sausage stand near the Albertina offers all kinds of sausages and is very busy. There is a sausage stand on every corner in Vienna.
