The fast-food dish currywurst is most associated with Germany, where the sausage-and-curry-sauce snack originated.
Currywurst usually consists of sliced pork sausage covered with a tomato-based curry sauce or curry ketchup and often sprinkled with additional curry powder. The dish is especially linked with Berlin. Its invention is commonly attributed to Herta Heuwer, who began selling it from a stand in West Berlin in 1949, during the city’s postwar reconstruction. Accounts say she obtained curry powder and other ingredients from British soldiers and combined them with a tomato sauce.
Currywurst spread throughout Germany, but regional styles differ. Berlin versions often use a fine steamed sausage, while Ruhr-area versions more commonly feature bratwurst. It is typically served with French fries, bread, or a bread roll. The dish is sometimes confused with Indian curry or with a sausage containing curry in its meat mixture, but the defining feature is the curry-seasoned sauce and topping. A famous industrial variation is made for Volkswagen workers in Wolfsburg.