© HLPhoto – stock.adobe.com
During pregnancy you should eat a balanced and healthy diet. However, the list of forbidden foods is long and as a pregnant woman you are often wondering whether you are even allowed to eat this or that. Especially when it comes to cheeses and sausages, it is often the case that you sometimes lose track of things, are standing in the supermarket and don't know whether you are allowed to eat this or that. What about the tea sausage? Can you enjoy this delicious spread during pregnancy?
What is Teewurst and how is it made?
Teewurst is a spreadable raw sausage that is only made in Germany. In addition to salami and mettwurst, the traditional Teewurst is one of the most popular types of raw sausage in Germany. Lean pork (sometimes also beef) and pork belly or bacon are finely minced in a meat grinder and then seasoned. The spices should also include juniper rum, which is supposed to give the Teewurst its special taste. The crushed mass is then placed in an artificial casing that is smoked over beech wood. After that, the Teewurst has to mature for several days through lactic acid fermentation. The Teewurst gets its very special aroma from the seasoning, smoking and aging.
Consumption of Teewurst during pregnancy
Unfortunately, you should avoid Teewurst during pregnancy!
Since Teewurst is a raw sausage, you should avoid it throughout pregnancy, as it could contain toxosplasmosis and listeriosis pathogens. This can lead to damage to your child in the event of a possible infection. In contrast to scalded or boiled sausage, raw sausage is not heated and therefore no germs can be killed. Because it is only preserved by smoking and maturing, there could still be pathogens in the sausage mixture.
Background information on Teewurst
Do you know where the Teewurst got its name from? Does the Teewurst possibly contain tea or is tea used in some way in the production process? The answer to that is no. The sausage got its name at the end of the 19th century from a butcher from Rügenwalde in Pomerania, who invented a sausage that was very spreadable. Before that, there were only types of sausage that were chopped up more coarsely.
At that time it was customary to drink tea in the afternoon. However, the butcher from Rügenwalde didn't want to serve anything sweet with tea, but rather something hearty. So it came about that the Teewurst was served with afternoon tea. Otto von Bismarck is said to have been a big fan of this combination.
You probably also know the Rügenwalder Teewurst, which you can often find in the supermarket. At that time, the city was known for its sausage specialties. After the Second World War, the sausage factories from Rügenwalde fled to Germany and opened factories to produce the Teewurst. An association was founded from the former meat factories in Rügenwalde and they are now the owners of the “Rügenwalder Teewurst” brand. Only companies that can prove that they come from Rügenwalde may use this designation. Other companies can only sell their Teewurst with the name “Teewurst nach Rügenwalder Art”.
What did I need for my baby's initial equipment and what can you do without? Here’my personal checklist for a baby's initial equipment!