History
Flönz is the Kölsch dialect word for Blutwurst (blood sausage), and 'Musik' is the city's polite way of describing what the raw onion does in the stomach afterwards. The combination became a Brauhaus snack staple in the 19th century working-class quarters, and stayed on the menus through the 20th century even as the wider Cologne food scene gentrified. Today it is the standard mid-morning second-breakfast and the cheapest order on most Brauhaus snack lists.
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Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 200g good Cologne-style Blutwurst (look for Stippmilch or Flönz styles, available at German butchers), sliced 1cm thick
- 1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced in rings
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 4 slices dark rye bread, ideally Roggenbrot
- 30g cold butter
- Mittelscharf (medium-hot) German mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- Black pepper
Method
- Make the Musik first: combine the red onion rings with vinegar, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Toss and leave to pickle 30 minutes at room temperature. They should turn bright pink.
- Butter the rye bread thinly.
- Lay the Blutwurst slices flat on the buttered bread, 3 slices per piece.
- Drain the pickled onion and pile generously on top of the sausage.
- Scatter chopped chives and grind black pepper over.
- Plate with a teaspoon-sized mound of mustard on the side and a 0.2L Kölsch alongside.
Tip from the editors. The Blutwurst must be eaten cold and uncooked in this preparation; that is the snack format. Hot Blutwurst goes into Himmel un Ääd instead.
Where to eat flönz (blutwurst) mit musik
Flönz (Blutwurst) mit Musik in Cologne
Brauerei Päffgen ★ 4.5
Brauerei Päffgen in Cologne's Friesenviertel is the last independent house brewery in the city, founded by Hermann Päffgen in 1883; still hand-brewing.
OrderPäffgen Kölsch served at the bar with Tatar on dark bread; the only correct way to start an evening here
TipReservations by phone only from noon. Beer exclusively from the barrel. The Brauhaus is open from 12:00 daily.
Brauhaus Sion ★ 4.4
Brauhaus Sion at Unter Taschenmacher in Cologne's Altstadt has operated since 1318; renovated in 2012, one of Germany's most moody Brauhäuser.
Haus Töller ★ 4.3
Haus Töller on Weyerstrasse in Cologne occupies a 14th-century building and serves Sauerbraten, Halve Hahn and pork knuckle in a genuinely historic Altstadt.
OrderRheinischer Sauerbraten with Rübenkraut and potato dumplings, the canonical Cologne home dish
TipEvenings only, Monday to Saturday; closed Sundays. Cash preferred. Arrive early or you risk not getting a table.
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