It is the pork treat beloved by meat-eating Germans and tourists alike.
And now culinary novices among the thousands of England fans at Euro 2024 have given currywurst their verdict – with mixed results.
The pork sausage garnished with curry sauce is typically presented on a white cardboard platter with a two-pronged plastic fork, and can be served with skin or without.
One lad, stripped to the waist to avoid getting sauce on his new England top, scored currywurst seven out of ten, after trying it for the first time in Germany this weekend.
He initially grimaced after forking the sausage into his mouth, before deciding the aftertaste was better.
He told MailOnline: ‘It’s horrible at the start, it’s alright at the end – it’s alright … it’s not alright.
‘Fishcake and chips is ten times better than that. The sausage is too chewy, it’s not like a full English – the sausage goes down with a hashbrown straight at the start.
‘I’d rather English Chinese – chicken balls and chips with sweet and sour sauce – than that.’
This England fan, trying currywurst for the first time, initially was not too impressed with the German treat, before changing his mind
This ‘fussy eater’ described currywurst as ‘class’, and dismissed his friend’s criticisms of the famous snack
He was so impressed that he asked for a second portion
Seven out of ten: This supporter, showing his passion for the Three Lions, described currywurst as ‘pretty banging, to be fair’
A tradional portion of currywurst – a German classic
And its English equivalent – fish and chips
Another young supporter, who described himself as a ‘fussy eater’, was much more enthusiastic.
He said: ‘That’s class. Bit of spice. It’s not actually that bad.’
He proceeded to eat another slice but said it was ‘not better than fish and chips’.
The young man, who said he did not know what ‘cuisine’ meant, initially scored currywurst seven out of ten, before increasing it to an eight.
One England fan, wearing a home shirt and with a St George’s flag tied over his shoulders, was also impressed.
He said: ‘That’s good. Seven out of ten.
‘That is pretty banging, to be fair.’
And a fourth fan, wearing a retro England shirt, described currywurst as ‘nice, actually.’
The supporter, who washed the treat down with a pint, gave it an eight out of ten.
‘Not better than fish and chips, no way.’
He then invited his friend to try it.
‘Unreal,’ said the friend, who said he liked the sauce, and gave it a nine out of ten.
The self-confessed chicken kiev fan added: ‘Can’t beat fish and chips.’
While its origins are contested, the currywurst has a special place in the food culture of Berlin.
This England fan seemed pleasantly surprised when trying currywurst for the first time, and washed it down with a pint
His pal, wearing a 90s-style retro England shirt, gave currywurst the best score, but said it did not beat fish and chips
‘Our city is all about currywurst, and I think our city can’t live without currywurst. Whoever comes to Berlin has to try currywurst to know what the city’s about,’ said Linda Konnopke, who helps run her family’s popular fast-food joint in the German capital’s Prenzlauer Berg district.
Her great-grandparents Max and Charlotte Konnopke first began selling sausages from their portable grill in 1930, and the family-run business has since become an institution famous for its currywurst.
Their son, Günter Konnopke, introduced the dish to East Berlin in 1960. It was an immediate hit.
The recipe is still a closely guarded family secret.
‘Our absolute highlight is our currywurst without skin. That’s our biggest seller,’ Linda said.
Currywurst, Germany’s sausage with curry sauce, served on a cardboard at Konnopke’s a fast-food joint in Berlin
Currywurst is often sold on a cardboard platter, and can be accompanied by fries. It is usually consumed using a small wooden fork
The currywurst is usually sliced into convenient bite-sized portions. It can be doused in ketchup and sprinkled with curry powder, but some vendors – like Konnopke’s – will use their own specific curry sauce.
A woman named Herta Heuwer is largely credited with its invention. Heuwer was one of thousands of Berlin’s ‘Trümmerfrauen,’ or rubble women, who helped clear the wreckage left after World War II, and afterwards she ran her own fast-food business in the borough of Charlottenburg in the west of the city.
Some say Heuwer was bored one day and decided to experiment with the ingredients she had; others that she ran out of mustard and needed an alternative. Either way, she claimed to have invented the currywurst on 4 September 1949.
Berlin proclaimed itself the ‘currywurst capital’ on a plaque honouring Heuwer where she sold her first currywurst, but there are rival claims from Hamburg and the Ruhr area in western Germany.
England won their opening game 1-0 on Sunday, beating Serbia thanks to Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham’s first-half header.
Three Lions fans now face a wait to take on Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday.
