Metworst

This article is about the Dutch sausage, for the similarly named German sausage see Mettwurst

A metworst from Groningen.

Metworst or droge worst is a type of traditional Dutch sausage. The sausages have a very strong flavour and are made from raw minced pork which is then air dried.

Droge worst simply means dry sausage, referring to drying process and texture of the product. The name metworst (meaning 'With sausage') is similar to the German Mettwurst, though only in name; as the taste and preparation of both sausage types is very different.

Metworst is traditionally found throughout the Netherlands and Flanders, though it is most produced in the northern provinces of the Netherlands (Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe) as the wind conditions there are more suitable for quickly drying the sausages in open air.

Originally metworst, thanks to its preservability, served as an emergency meat supply to poor farmers in times of need or lack of fresh meat. As meat production gradually rose, the sausage began to be used as lunch for field laborers.

The sausage is the direct ancestor of the better known Afrikaner droë wors which is near identical in its way of production; though not so much in terms of the meat used, as naturally the Low Countries have markedly different fauna when compared to South Africa.

References

• Recipe for making droge worst and a short history of the sausage. (Dutch)