Mettbrötchen

Mett? In the old Saxon language — from which the word derives — it simply means “food”. And of course, it is. I was reminded of this one by Gay who — despite her German connections — still apparently shudders at the thought of this particular one. And brötchen? That’s just bread. In know, I do Duolingo.

Mett is the pork equivalent of beef tartare; simply minced raw pork, with some salt and black pepper and diced, raw onion which is then often eaten spread on halves of a bread roll (when it’s called Mettbrötchen). With typical German concern for the health of the community, if actually been produced outside the home, outside the domestic arena, then it can only 1. be sold on the day of production and 2. can contain no more than 35% fat by weight. How much you might choose to add to your own home minced variant is of course entirely up to you and your taste buds.

[It’s also similar to the spicy Italian Salsiccia cruda (lit. ’raw sausage’) whose flavour is described as ‘soft and buttery’ and which is often served with toast and olive oil.]

A simple, peasant dish. Finest kind.