The Atlas · Germany's Largest Department

German Meat Dishes

67 of Germany's 237 ranked dishes are meat, more than a quarter of the whole cuisine. By our raters the best is Mett, the seasoned raw pork spread on a roll, Nº 419 in the world.

67 dishes ranked·28.3% of the cuisine·3,485 diner ratings·Top rank Nº 419

Germany runs on sausage and roast. Of its 67 ranked meat dishes, the register is pork, goose and beef turned into Bratwurst, Mettwurst and the Christmas Weihnachtsgans, plus the spit-roast Hendl of the beer garden. Little of it is subtle and almost none of it is lean, which is rather the point.

The best-rated is the oddest: Mett, raw seasoned pork eaten cold on bread, at Nº 419 worldwide. Fame runs elsewhere. The most-reviewed German meat dish by a wide margin is Bratwurst, with 375 ratings against Mett's 3,485-strong department, the grill sausage every festival sells by the roll. Read them below: the signature dishes, by region, or the complete list of all 67.

The Signature Dishes

Twelve signature meat dishes in rank order, four told in full, then eight more from the grill.

Mett, ground meat dish from Germany
Plate IGround Meat Dish · Germany

1Nº 419 worldwide

Mett

Ground Meat Dish · Germany

Seasoned raw pork mince, spread thick on a bread roll and topped with raw onion, eaten fresh and uncooked. A fixture of German bakery counters and party buffets, it has to be strictly fresh, seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and sometimes caraway.

★ 4.2|63 ratings

Bratwurst, sausage from Germany

2BratwurstNº 495

Sausage · Nuremberg

The classic German grilling sausage, with centuries of history in Franconia and dozens of regional styles, from Nuremberg's finger-sized links to Thuringia's long, spiced version. Best eaten hot off the grill with mustard and a crusty roll.

★ 4.2|375 ratings

Weihnachtsgans, goose dish from Germany

3WeihnachtsgansNº 538

Goose Dish · Germany

The German Christmas goose, roasted whole with a stuffing of apples, onions, and mugwort until the skin turns deep and crisp. Served with red cabbage and potato dumplings, it is the centerpiece of the holiday table, tied by tradition to St. Martin's Day and Christmas.

★ 4.1|27 ratings

Hendl, chicken dish from Germany

4HendlNº 646

Chicken Dish · Bavaria

Bavaria's beer-garden roast chicken, seasoned simply with salt and parsley and grilled on a spit until the skin is crisp and golden. Sold by the half at Oktoberfest and summer gardens, it is eaten with a giant soft pretzel and a liter of beer.

★ 4.1|67 ratings

  1. Gänsebraten, goose dish from Germany5

    Gänsebraten

    Nº 677

    Goose Dish · Germany★ 4.1

  2. Mettwurst, sausage from Germany6

    Mettwurst

    Nº 846

    Sausage · Germany★ 4.0

  3. Spanferkel, pork dish from Germany7

    Spanferkel

    Nº 1,014

    Pork Dish · Germany★ 4.0

  4. Zwiebelrostbraten, beef dish from Germany8

    Zwiebelrostbraten

    Nº 1,325

    Beef Dish · Bavaria★ 3.9

  5. Braunschweiger, sausage from Germany9

    Braunschweiger

    Nº 1,385

    Sausage · Braunschweig★ 3.9

  6. Bregenwurst, sausage from Germany10

    Bregenwurst

    Nº 1,444

    Sausage · Lower Saxony★ 3.9

  7. Thüringer Rostbratwurst, sausage from Germany11

    Thüringer Rostbratwurst

    Nº 1,786

    Sausage · Thuringia★ 3.9

  8. Jägerschnitzel, meat dish from Germany12

    Jägerschnitzel

    Nº 1,791

    Meat Dish · Germany★ 3.9

The Gazetteer

Where the meat is grilled

The regions of Germany with the deepest butchery. Choose one to filter the complete ledger below.

Placed dishes only · top 6 regions

  7. Another 29 ranked dishes are logged simply as pan-German, with no single regional home.

The Complete Ledger

All 67 German meat dishes in the world ranking, every entry.

67 entries
  1. 419 Mett Ground Meat Dish Germany ★ 4.2
  2. 495 Bratwurst Sausage Nuremberg ★ 4.2
  3. 538 Weihnachtsgans Goose Dish Germany ★ 4.1
  4. 646 Hendl Chicken Dish Bavaria ★ 4.1
  5. 677 Gänsebraten Goose Dish Germany ★ 4.1
  6. 846 Mettwurst Sausage Germany ★ 4.0
  7. 1,014 Spanferkel Pork Dish Germany ★ 4.0
  8. 1,325 Zwiebelrostbraten Beef Dish Bavaria ★ 3.9
  9. 1,385 Braunschweiger Sausage Braunschweig ★ 3.9
  10. 1,444 Bregenwurst Sausage Lower Saxony ★ 3.9
  11. 1,786 Thüringer Rostbratwurst Sausage Thuringia ★ 3.9
  12. 1,791 Jägerschnitzel Meat Dish Germany ★ 3.9
  13. 2,052 Schwenkbraten Pork Dish Saarland ★ 3.9
  14. 2,104 Schweinshaxe Pork Dish Bavaria ★ 3.8
  15. 2,110 Schäufele Pork Dish Germany ★ 3.8
  16. 2,349 Frankfurter Schnitzel Meat Dish Frankfurt am Main ★ 3.8
  17. 2,849 Münchner Schnitzel Veal Dish Munich ★ 3.8
  18. 3,217 Mutzbraten Pork Dish Thuringia ★ 3.8
  19. 3,804 Duck Stewed in Beer (Ente in Bier) Duck Dish Germany ★ 3.7
  20. 3,830 Schlesisches Himmelreich Pork Dish Saxony ★ 3.7
  21. 3,851 Rostbrätel Pork Dish Thuringia ★ 3.7
  22. 4,086 Dibbelabbes Pork Dish Saarland ★ 3.7
  23. 4,100 Regensburger Wurst Sausage Regensburg ★ 3.7
  24. 4,173 Potato Wurst (Kartoffelwurst) Sausage Germany ★ 3.7
  25. 4,238 Schweinebraten Pork Dish Bavaria ★ 3.7
  26. 4,263 Knockwurst Sausage Germany ★ 3.7
  27. 4,497 Bötel Pork Dish Magdeburg ★ 3.7
  28. 4,591 Eisbein Pork Dish Berlin ★ 3.7
  29. 4,726 Schnitzel Holstein Veal Dish Berlin ★ 3.7
  30. 4,843 Knipp Sausage Bremen ★ 3.7
  31. 4,940 Bratwurst in Beer Sauce (Bratwurst in Biersoße) Sausage Dish Eastern Germany ★ 3.7
  32. 4,967 S Siegerländer Krüstche Pork Dish Siegen ★ 3.7
  33. 5,025 Wurst Sausage Germany ★ 3.7
  34. 5,199 Schmierwurst Sausage Germany ★ 3.6
  35. 5,582 Saure Zipfel Sausage Dish Nuremberg ★ 3.6
  36. 5,737 Plockwurst Sausage Germany ★ 3.6
  37. 5,963 Rouladen Beef Dish Germany ★ 3.6
  38. 6,725 Krüstchen Schnitzel Meat Dish Frankfurt am Main ★ 3.5
  39. 7,000 Berlin-Style Calves Liver (Kalbsleber Berliner Art) Offal Dish Berlin ★ 3.5
  40. 7,115 Wiener Würstchen Sausage Frankfurt am Main ★ 3.4
  41. 7,126 Currywurst Sausage Dish Berlin ★ 3.4
  42. 7,221 Rahmschnitzel Meat Dish Germany ★ 3.4
  43. 7,454 Zungenwurst Blood Sausage Germany ★ 3.4
  44. 7,498 Buletten Ground Meat Dish Berlin ★ 3.4
  45. 7,545 Gruenkohl und Pinkel Sausage Dish Germany ★ 3.4
  46. 7,613 Kassler Pork Dish Germany ★ 3.3
  47. 7,636 Gelbwurst Sausage Bavaria ★ 3.3
  48. 7,641 Frankfurter Würstchen Sausage Frankfurt am Main ★ 3.3
  49. 8,058 Saumagen Pork Dish Palatinate ★ 3.2
  50. 8,102 Kohlroulade Ground Meat Dish Germany ★ 3.2
  51. 8,208 Lyoner Wurst Sausage Germany ★ 3.2
  52. 8,215 Zigeunerschnitzel Meat Dish Germany ★ 3.1
  53. 8,360 Sauerbraten Beef Dish Germany ★ 3.1
  54. 8,423 Leberkäse Ground Meat Dish Germany ★ 3.0
  55. 8,584 Weißwürste Sausage Munich ★ 2.9
  56. 8,594 Bockwurst Sausage Berlin ★ 2.8
  57. 8,736 Leberwurst Sausage Germany ★ 2.5
  58. 8,828 Blutwurst Blood Sausage Germany ★ 1.6
  59. 9,716 Blunzengröstl Sausage Dish Bavaria ★ 0.0
  60. 9,719 Sailors' Beef (Matrosenfleisch) Beef Dish Bremen ★ 0.0
  61. 9,951 W Woihinkelche Chicken Dish Hesse ★ 0.0
  62. 9,979 Stippgrütze Sausage North Rhine-Westphalia ★ 0.0
  63. 10,196 S Skewered Kidneys (Nierenspiesschen) Offal Dish Germany ★ 0.0
  64. 10,397 S Stuffed Goose Neck (Gefüllter Gänsehals) Goose Dish Germany ★ 0.0
  65. 10,572 W Wild Boar in Burgundy Wine (Wildschwein in Burgunder) Game Dish Germany ★ 0.0
  66. 10,632 P Partridge with Lentils (Rebhuhn mit Linsen) Game Dish Germany ★ 0.0
  67. 10,833 K Kloppschinken Meat Dish Strasburg (Uckermark) ★ 0.0

Questions, Answered

German meat dishes, frequently asked, answered from 3,485 ratings.

What is the best German meat dish?
By our diners' ratings the best is Mett, seasoned raw pork minced and spread thick on a bread roll with onion, at Nº 419 worldwide. Behind it come the grill sausage Bratwurst, the Christmas goose Weihnachtsgans, and Bavaria's beer-garden roast chicken Hendl.
What is German cuisine known for in meat?
Sausage and roast, above all. Of Germany's 67 ranked meat dishes the spine is pork and goose: cured and grilled sausages like Bratwurst and Mettwurst, whole roast birds like Gänsebraten, and the spit-roast Hendl. It is hearty, fatty, festival food built to fill you.
What is the most famous German sausage?
By number of ratings it's Bratwurst, the grilled pork link with 375 ratings, far more than any other German meat dish. It ranks Nº 495 by score, below the raw-pork Mett at Nº 419. Fame and rank pull apart: the crowd-pleaser is not quite the top scorer.
What is Mett?
Mett is raw pork mince, seasoned with salt and pepper, spread thick on a bread roll and topped with raw onion, then eaten cold and uncooked. A fixture of German bakery counters and party buffets, it has to be strictly fresh. Our raters put it Nº 419, Germany's best meat dish.
Which region of Germany makes the most meat dishes?
Among dishes with a named home, Bavaria and Berlin tie at the top with six ranked meat dishes each, Bavaria's led by the beer-garden Hendl and Berlin's by the boiled pork knuckle Eisbein. Frankfurt follows with four. Many of the 67 are logged simply as pan-German.
Where else should I look for great meat dishes?
Across the borders and beyond. Italy fields 172 ranked meat dishes, France 61 and Poland 30, all ranked the same way. Worldwide the department is vast, 1,423 from 155 countries, topped not by Germany but by Greece's grilled lamb chops Païdakia at Nº 2. See Meat Dishes worldwide.

This Department, Elsewhere

Meat dishes from Germany's neighbours, ranked the same way.

FrenchMeat Dishes61AustrianMeat Dishes11SwissMeat Dishes11DutchMeat Dishes8BelgianMeat Dishes8LuxembourgishMeat Dishes7
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