Credit: Image by planet_fox on Pixabay. Mushrooms added by Kustrim Cerimi

The Berlin currywurst, as everyone knows, is a part of the Berlin culture and for several decades has ranked besides the classic Döner as the most popular fast food meal in Germany. The recipe for success is quite simple, literally: A grilled sausage with or without skin, two ends, and lots of red sauce. The sauce doesn’t even have to taste like curry, but can just have curry powder sprinkled on top. There are many different versions of it and almost every takeaway in Berlin has its own variant.

Why am I writing about currywurst? I’m a vegetarian myself and don’t eat it, but I picked the topic today because the currywurst has been the focus of various media statements in recent times. So, here’s a little background story:

Why currywurst was about to be banished

The world’s largest automotive company, Volkswagen (VW), recently announced it was doing away with its famous canteen currywurst and would only offer meatless alternatives in the future. What a shock! One person did not like this announcement at all, the former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who calls currywurst the power bar of the skilled workers(“Kraftriegel der Facharbeiter”) and promotes thefamous meat product on social networks.

Many companies are moving toward meatless food, but this news has made big waves. VW’s currywurst is even so famous that it has its ownWikipedia article. In 2019, VW, with seven million servings,delivered more Currywurst to its canteen visitorsthan cars in the same period.

But it could be so simple with currywurst

Since I became a vegetarian 14 years ago, I’ve gotten to know many meatless alternatives to meat products. These products are usually based on tofu, soybeans or pea proteins mixed with or without eggs, and a lot of other additives for taste, form and seasoning.

And as a mushroom enthusiast, I’ve also noticed in recent years an increase in business efforts to use mushroom mycelium for meat substitutes.

Fungi for the sausage

因此，在这一点上，我问：为什么我们不谈论生产充满蛋白质和维生素的可持续蘑菇咖喱燃料？至少由于专利问题，它不应该失败，因为目前尚不清楚谁真正发明了库里沃斯特（Currywurst），但这是另一场辩论的主题。

And since there are different guidelines for how to make currywurst, there should be no problems with making a currywurst with a “meatless” sausage. For example, theBundesverband der Deutschen Fleischwarenindustrie e.Vsays:

“Fried or boiled sausage that is offered, usually sliced, with ketchup and curry powder and with a roll or french fries as a side dish. The Berlin currywurst is available with and also without skin.”

I claim that anyone who can make burger patties and bacon from mushrooms should also be able to make a currywurst. As a precaution, I also provide a modified definition for such a fungi currywurst:

“油炸或煮沸的纯素食香肠，是由发酵蘑菇菌丝体产生的，蘑菇粉或重塑水果。通常将番茄酱和咖喱粉切成薄片，并在侧面搭配面包或薯条。”

也许在柏林可以重塑咖喱燃料？谁肯定知道。也许这将结束有关废除大众库里沃斯特的漫长辩论，也许咖喱粉的拥护者也将被蘑菇香肠说服，并了解每种肉类替代方案都是朝着碳中含量的重要一步。