Bavarian Sausage Queen Crafts Meat Footballers for World Cup
As the World Cup kicks off with Mexico facing South Africa, a meat-loving football fan has created a unique half-time snack. Julia Boebel, the 11th Bavarian weisswurst queen, is making white sausages shaped like footballers at her family butcher near Rittersbach, Germany.
Boebel explains: 'The World Cup is taking place in the summer, and that's definitely barbecue season. We sat down as a team and thought, what can we make for the barbecue using weisswurst?' The result is a footballer-shaped sausage kicking a Franconian bratwurst ball, all held together with a green cocktail stick.
To create the sporty sausages, Boebel – adorned with a tiara, weisswurst queen sash, and food hygiene gear – pipes weisswurst pulp into footballer-shaped moulds on a tray decorated like a pitch. 'Once I've piped them all out, I'll smooth the surface nice and even,' she adds. The meat is then steamed in a kettle. After cooking, Boebel spears the footballer's foot with the cocktail stick and attaches the bratwurst ball.
Next comes grilling: Boebel cooks the footballers over indirect heat for about seven minutes. She says they pair perfectly with a 'pretzel stick topped with butter'. Showing off her creation, Boebel chows down the bratwurst ball in one bite.
The Bavarian weisswurst queen is chosen annually to reign over the region's famous veal and pork sausage, named for its pale colour. It is often seasoned with parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger, and cardamom.
