"1949? Ours Was 1936" Unexpected Origin Dispute Over Germany's Iconic Street Food

Duisburg Claims to Be the Birthplace of Currywurst
Widely Believed to Have Originated in Postwar Berlin
A Symbol of Germany's Economic Miracle... 800 Million Servings Sold Annually

An unexpected debate has arisen over who first invented Germany's street food, currywurst. On September 22 (local time), Yonhap News, citing Germany’s ARD broadcaster, reported, "Duisburg Mayor S?ren Link installed a plaque at a snack shop in the city, stating, 'Peter Hildebrandt invented currywurst in Duisburg in 1936.'"

Currywurst is a dish consisting of sausage (wurst) topped with tomato sauce and sprinkled with curry powder. It is widely believed to have been invented in Berlin, the capital of Germany, after World War II. In 1949, Herta Heuwer, who ran a food stand at Stuttgart Square in Berlin, is credited with creating the original version by obtaining curry powder from the British occupation forces. Heuwer registered the currywurst sauce as a patent in 1959, and in 2019, the city of Berlin even issued a commemorative coin celebrating the 70th anniversary of the invention of currywurst.

However, a claim to the original currywurst has now emerged from Duisburg in western Germany. Mayor Link asserted, "Currywurst is an authentic dish perfectly suited to the Ruhr region (the industrial area in the west) and Duisburg."

According to Yonhap News, a research book exploring the origins of currywurst was published last year. The book claims that Hildebrandt, who operated a sausage factory in Duisburg, first served sausages topped with tomato sauce and British-style curry spices as snacks for his employees in 1936. The author, Gregor Lauenburger, stated, "In the end, that sausage was seasoned with curry from an enemy nation," adding, "Despite the popularity of currywurst, it was kept secret at the time due to the hostile relationship between Nazi Germany and Britain."

He presented as evidence a receipt showing that Hildebrandt purchased and received British curry from a spice factory in Hamburg in 1935. He further argued, "People in Berlin only reinvented currywurst 13 years later."

Currywurst became a symbol of Germany’s economic miracle, as it was a favorite food among workers during the postwar reconstruction period. According to the Currywurst Museum, 70 million servings are sold annually in Berlin, and 800 million servings are sold across Germany each year.