What Is Special About a Pressed Sausage?

Depending on the variant, the pressed sausage consists of pork, beef, or veal. Pig’s blood, bacon, certain innards, and the pig mask are often added. In contrast to the red or black variant, the white or gray pressed sausage is made without blood.

The term pressed sausage or press head or press bag refers to the manufacturing process: the ingredients are not processed into classic sausage meat, but only roughly chopped up and then pressed into the intestine.

Meat and offal are pre-cooked in water or broth, the bacon is diced and blanched. The meat is minced and mixed with onions and pig’s blood to form a granular porridge. The remaining ingredients are cut into rough pieces so that the filling is still clearly recognizable at the end. The filling is seasoned and then pressed into natural or artificial casings. The pressed sausages are finally cooked in boiling water or steam. Sometimes they are smoked afterward. Presswurst can also be made in cans or mason jars.