When I go to Germany, the first two things I look for are currywurst and beer. No one makes either like the Germans.
Das helle boch bier = The light dark beer
My favorite beer while stationed in Pirmasens in the late 1970s and early 1980s was Parkbrau’s Pirminator. A local fest beer, this stuff was and I believe still is, strong. I mean strong. For soldiers new to the country, the goal was to be able to drink five of the .5 liter bottles, the “grosse flasche.”
The first time I drank it, I barely made it through one bottle. By the time I left, my record was seven or eight. I think, I may have blacked out. But, I have never had a German beer (in Germany, the imported German beer in the US just ain’t the same) I didn’t like.
Rough translation: Currywurst makes you sharp...and makes other wursts jealous
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German curry ketchup
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Indian sweet curry powder
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good quality bratwurst
Grill the brat on a grill or you can heat them in a cast iron pan, get them nice and hot.
To be fancy, place the brat on a plate and cut slices about a half inch wide, but don’t cut all the way through. In other words, the sliced brat should stay in one piece.
Generously coat the brat with German curry ketchup. You can find this in the states, especially if you know someone in the military who can get it for you at the Commissary. DO NOT USE REGULAR AMERICAN KETCHUP!
Sprinkle a generous amount of curry all over the brat. Pop open the best beer you can find. Enjoy.
Currywurst
Tags: beer, curry ketchup, curry powder, currywurst, french fries, parkbrau, pirminator, pomme frites
OMG, this is so accurate. I can almost taste the Pirminator and currywurst now! Thanks for trip down memory lane!
The best Currywurst in the world could be found at the Schnellimbiss across the street from the MP Station in Pirmasens. Except for the plastic fork (they used little wooden spear-type forks), the photo is perfect…right down to the paper “boat.” Oh, and did I mention that I have a bottle of Parkbrau (unfortunately, not Pirmanator, but Pils) sitting on the “shrine shelf” in my home office?
I enjoyed your post and concur that imported German beers cannot compare in taste and alcoholic content to those sold in Germany. I think it has to do with the pateurization and homogenization process required by law for import beers. While stationed at Miesau Army Depot I had the pleasure of knocking back quite a few Parkbrau beers but never a Pirminator. I did, however, enjoy other Christmas “boch” and “doppelboch” beers. Das ist gut geschmeckt!!!
That little Schnellimbiss is where I had my first currywurst and many more after that. My barracks was across the street. We sometimes played kino there while having a beer, currywurst, and pomme frites. Wonder if that place is still there? Thanks for bringing up that memory! I also loved the Pizza “tutto” and Sambuca at the German American club run by an Italian. We closed that place many a night.
I loved the bocks and doppelbochs! Still do whenever I get a chance to go to Germany. I love flying through Frankfurt airport with a layover. There is a place there with currywurst, not to mention beer. Doesn’t matter what time of day it is, I go straight there in between flights.