Currywurst was a local Berlin dish that I never quite understood on my last trip here. It was just a fried sausage covered in ketchup and curry powder, right? So when I saw this place called Eckert's a few doors down from Rogacki selling this stuff, I stopped to give it another chance. But even on this second time, I still couldn't figure out what the big deal was.
That was, until I went to Konnopke's Imbiss (44 Schoenhauser Allee, 442-7765) later this afternoon...the same place that Bourdain went to. This one was a bit different. The skin was crispier, and the ketchup was a bit spicier, even if they didn't use as much curry powder on top. Yeah, I can see why this was a bit more interesting. Was it anything that I will crave? No, but I guess it was better than a commonplace hot dog off the streets of the US.
Epilogue: I had the chance to eat this stuff again just 24 hours later, but with full control of the curry powder this time. I basically loaded up on the stuff, and the spicyness that resulted from it was finally the punch that I was looking for. Now I know. The trick is to get them to make it as spicy as can be.
Wow. I'm a Canadian living in Singapore who reads your blog, and I was just in Berlin this weekend and ate my first curry-wurst. Eerie!
ReplyDeleteThis is a bit of a misunderstanding. Currywurst is a West-Berlin invention, while Konnopke is an East-Berlin institution. Personally, I think Konnopke is sub-par at best. Next time, try it somewhere in the West, for example at Kudamm 195 (the name is the address). I would also like to add that the red sauce is not (or better: should not) be ketchup, it is similar but different, and all the proper stands make it themselves.
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