Part No. 199 398 500 A is one of Volkswagen’s most popular products. However, it’s not a cute-looking Beetle, a practical Jetta sedan, or a trendy minibus.
In fact, it's not any model in Volkswagen's lineup of automobiles, or even anything to do with cars at all.
Since 1973, Volkswagen’s plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, has also been making currywurst sausage. This award-winning pork sausage feeds staff members in VW cafeterias, and it's also available at retail outlets and online. Car dealerships are also sent Volkswagen currywurst to hand out to their customers.
Remarkably, in 2018, more currywurst was manufactured than any other VW part -- more than 6.81 million links.
Das Auto und die Wurst:
- The meat was originally a blend of pork and beef, but the beef was removed in the 1990s after a major mad cow disease outbreak in the United Kingdom. The sausage has won prizes at numerous German food fairs.
- The food item, technically currybockwurst, is pork sausage infused with spices and is typically served doused in curried ketchup with a generous side of chips.
- VW employs 30 people in their Wolfsburg kitchen. The team cranks out 18,000 sausages a day, using a secret recipe that includes curry powder, pepper and ginger. The meat is then dried and smoked over beechwood.
