Mettbrötchen
Photo: Superbass · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Mett is German lean minced pork, traditionally from the shoulder, served raw on bread as Mettbrötchen. The tradition is centuries old in northern and western Germany; food-safety regulations require Mett to be ground and sold the same day. Cologne's Wochenmarkt stalls and Bäckereien like Backerei Zimmermann and Bastians serve it from early morning. The most common breakfast or second-breakfast order at any Cologne market.

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Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 10 minTotal 10 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 200g freshly ground lean pork shoulder (must be ground the same day, from a butcher you trust)
  • 1 small white onion, very finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of sweet paprika
  • 2 fresh Brötchen (German bread rolls) or sourdough rolls
  • 1 teaspoon cold butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives
  • Mittelscharf mustard, optional

Method

  1. Combine the pork with the diced onion, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix gently with a fork; do not overwork or the texture goes pasty.
  2. Split each Brötchen and butter lightly.
  3. Pile half the Mett onto the bottom of each Brötchen, mounded in the centre.
  4. Scatter chives on top and add a fresh grind of black pepper.
  5. Eat immediately within 30 minutes of grinding the pork. Mett does not keep.

Tip from the editors. Only use pork ground the same day by a butcher who knows the Mett tradition. The Federal Office for Food Safety requires it. Never use supermarket mince.

Where to eat mettbrötchen

Mettbrötchen in Cologne

Nippesser Wochenmarkt ★ 4.8

€ MarketNippes

Nippesser Wochenmarkt at Wilhelmplatz in Cologne's Nippes runs Mon-Fri 07:00-13:00 and Saturday to 14:30; one of the most authentic neighbourhood markets.

Directions

Backerei Zimmermann ★ 4.8

€ BakeryTraditional German breadBelgisches Viertel

Backerei Zimmermann on Ehrenstrasse in Cologne has baked dark rye breads, Brötchen and Mettbrötchen since 1875; one of the oldest family bakeries.

Directions

Bastians ★ 4.5

€ BakeryIn-store bakery with cafeAltstadt

Bastians at Auf dem Berlich in Cologne's Altstadt is one of the city centre's most reliable traditional bakeries, serving Mettbrötchen and rye breads.

Directions

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Mettbrötchen in Hamburg

Erika's Eck ★ 4.0

€€ GermanSternschanzeUntil late, hours vary by day

Erika's Eck on Sternstrasse in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel runs an Imbiss room that has fed working-shift and post-club Schanze crowds since the early 1980s.

TrySchnitzel and Mettwurst

TipHours vary by day: Mon 17:00-23:00, Tue and Wed open from 07:00, Thu late, Fri runs through, weekends split morning and evening. Cash and card accepted.

Directions

Fischmarkt Altona ★ 4.7

€ MarketAltona

Fischmarkt Altona on Grosse Elbstrasse in Hamburg has run every Sunday morning since 1703 and is the city's defining harbour market, with 70,000 weekly.

TipArrives 05:00 in summer, 07:00 in winter; closes by 09:30 sharp. Auctioneer banter is the show.

Directions

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