Recreating a German Sausage from 1588 - Zervelat (Cervelat)

 Das Kuchbuch der Sabina Welserin , T. Gloning (transcr.)

Wie man zerwúlawirstlach machen soll - Zervelat 

I cannot take credit for this recipe. The zervelat recipe is from a website called "The Commonplace Book of Lady Avelyn Grene". The lady herself is an excellent person and I'm so grateful that she is my friend. Please do take a moment to visit her website (linked above) and marvel at her talents.

Original Recipe

Wie man zerwúlawirstlach machen soll

Erstlich nempt 4 pfúnd schweinflesch vom zepfflin/ vnnd

2 pfúnd speck, das last klainhacken vnnd thiet 6 lott saltz

darain/ ain pfúnd geriben kesß, .3. lott pffeffer, 3 lott jmber,

wen es gehackt jst, so knetten das als darein, rerlach 3 lott,

ain 1/2 lott negellach, ain halb lott múscatnúsß, zwaý lott

zúcker, die derm músß man saúbermachen vnd nachmals

gilben, darf man nit gar ain 1/2 lott saffera, man músß sý binden

aúff baiden seitten, aúch vnngeferlich ain qúertlin frisch

wasser darangiessen, man músß aúch das saltz, jmber, pfeffer

nit gar darainthon, soll es vor versúchen vnnd darnach machen,

man soll sý sieden vnngefarlich als 2 air, das gewirtz

vnnd saltz músß man dareinton nach aines gúten gedoncken,

man músß zuúor versúchen.

Translation

24 How one should make Zervelat. First take four pounds of pork from the tender area of the leg and two pounds of bacon. Let this be finely chopped and add to it three ounces of salt, one pound of grated cheese, one and one half ounces of pepper and one and one half ounces of ginger. When it is chopped then knead the following into it, one and one half ounces cinnamon, one fourth ounce of cloves, one fourth ounce of nutmeg and one ounce of sugar. The sausage skins must be cleaned and subsequently colored yellow, for which one needs not quite one fourth ounce of saffron. Tie it up on both ends and pour in approximately one quart of fresh water. The entire amount of salt, ginger and pepper should not be added, taste it first and season it accordingly. It should be cooked about as long as to cook eggs. The seasoning and the salt must be put into it according to one's own discretion, it must be tried first.

Ingredients

1 lb. pork, ground

1/2 lb bacon, ground

4 oz grated cheese (I used butterkasse)

1 1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground clove

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Water

Instructions

1. Mix together the meat and spices, adding water until it becomes sticky.

2. Stuff your mixture into a casing of your choice. Since I serve most of my sausages at room temperature, I use saran wrap.

3. Simmer your sausage until it will hold its shape and is mostly cooked if you want to create the yellow color that you see in the picture on its skin.

4. Remove the sausage from the water, add a very generous pinch of saffron to the water and allow the saffron to steep while the sausage cools till it is cool enough to handle.

5. Remove the wrap from the sausage. Place the sausage in the saffron water and slowly bring to a simmer, allow the sausage to finish cooking. The saffron water will dye the "skin". The longer the sausage remains in the saffron water the yellower it will get.

Please Note: Boiling water will make the plastic melty -- do not boil.

For more information on where I came across this method of making sausage, please watch the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtKXCY0HudA

Sources

"Greneboke". Greneboke.Com, 2022, http://greneboke.com/recipes/zervelat.html. Accessed 14 Oct 2022.

"Das Kochbuch Der Sabina Welserin (C. 1553)". Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, 2022, https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/germanistik/absprache/sprachverwendung/gloning/tx/sawe.htm. Accessed 14 Oct 2022.