I made bratwursts tonight. I set out spicy brown mustard and a choice of sweet or dill relish to go with them. My husband rolled his eyes and said “I don’t know how you can eat bratwurst without ketchup.” I replied, “Because ketchup on Bratwurst is an abomination!” I admit, I do put ketchup on hot dogs-- although I do use fresh tomato if I have it around or it’s an especially high-quality hot dog. But ketchup on bratwurst is just not right, IMNSHO. So, who is right? Me or my husband?
Ketchup on anything is an abomination…
If you buy a bratwurst at a sausage stand in Berlin, they’ll offer you mustard AND ketchup. I guess they know what they’re doing when it comes to wurst.
Let hubby use the condiments of his choice. Do we really need more rules? I like red wine with fish, so shoot me.
- PW
Tomato catsup on bratwurst is an offense against nature. I don’t know about Berlin or where ever you were getting your bratwurst, Palewriter, but forty years ago in the Rheinland-Pfalz, in Frankfurt, in Mannheim, in Giessen, in Wurtzberg, in Schweinfurt, in by God Weildflicken (there’s no ‘flicken like Weildflicken, it’s like no ‘flicken I know), even in Graefenwohr Town and Feurt and Neurnberg you got your bratwurst from one of those crappy little schnell imbis wagons and you got it with sharp, hot, not quite yellow German mustard, and you liked it. Even better was the Rotwurst and the Pomes Frits–damn they were gooood! The chopped horsemeat burgers were pretty good too, with mustard. Catsup may be a creeping Americanism, like blue jeans.
I generally don’t add any condiments to bratwurst.
I eat it with onions and peppers on a roll. No sauces.
Well, Bratwurst by itself is an abomination, no need to add ketchup.
I was going to post the exact same thing. Down to the italics.
Ketchup. Ugh.
I never used to, but I do now mostly.
You see, my wife can only make bratwurst by cutting it into small pieces and frying it up with potatoes. I tried to show her how to grill them or steam them, but she thinks it doesn’t taste right that way.
The only way I can choke down her way is to coat it with ketchup.
Now mayo on anything, that’s the abomination.
Mayo on bratwurst! Jeeez Louise!
We are having a bratwurst lunch today in the faculty lounge. There will be onions, relish, and mustard offered.
NO KETCHUP!! (shudder)
Count me in the “It is an abomination” camp.
Wow. It would never have occured to me to put ketchup on bratwurst. But if that’s his thing, hey, why not? The next time you serve bratwurst, just set out the mustard, ketchup, relish, onions, tobasco sauce, salsa, marinara sauce, lemon juice, ranch dressing, honey, Cool Whip, and Hershey’s chocolate syrup, and leave it up to him which ones he wants to use.
C’mon. Why is it so unacceptable to enjoy ketchup on bratwurst that it shouldn’t even be offered to those who want it? I, for one, wouldn’t be happy to eat a bratwurst-on-a-bun without ketchup and mustard both.
I suppose I don’t understand this horrible “ketchup = abomination!” thing. It’s not like I put ranch dressing on my sweet potato casserole.
German mustard, carmelized onions, and sauerkraut. It’s what I’m having for dinner tonight!
Ketchup is not in and of itself an abomination. It has perfectly good use with fries and onion rings and tater tots and meatloaf. Although that’s pretty much it.
Ketchup on Bratwurst, however, is very much a Bad Thing.
Abomination…pure and simple.
Meat gets mustard.
Potatoes get ketchup.
sheesh.
Ketchup on potatoes makes me retch. What did the potato do to deserve being drowned in sugared tomatoes? Now, a little mayo on the side for fries ain’t bad, but then I spent way too much time living in Europe.
Gelding: you can get almost any abomination at the imbiss stands now, including curried ketchup and other variations. But ketchup on wurst of any kind is just plain sick. Any condiment should complement the food, not overpower it. If you want sugar, upend the sugar bowl and get it done with.
Mayo is vile and disgusting, and whoever invented it should be shot. And hanged. And set on fire. At the same time.
C’mon Chefguy, tell us how you really feel. Don’t sugar coat it.
Oh Dark Lord DreadCthulhu, when you finally get around to taking over the world will you get rid of mayo altogether, or keep it around as a way of torturing your victims? 
And how do you feel about aioli? 