Munich Embraces Culinary Innovation: The ‘Weisswurst Doughnut’ Takes Center Stage for Carnival 2026
Munich, January 16 – As the Carnival season sweeps through Bavaria, the state capital is once again showcasing its playful spirit, this time through an unexpected culinary creation: the ‘Weisswurst Doughnut’. This novel treat, featuring a traditional Bavarian white sausage encased in a sweet doughnut, is set to be a highlight of the upcoming Faschingsdienstag (Shrove Tuesday) celebrations. Several prominent Munich city center restaurants, including the iconic Hofbräuhaus, Augustiner am Dom, and Augustiner Stammhaus, will offer this unique delicacy.
The Brainchild of a Bavarian Restaurateur
The innovative concept originated from Thomas Vollmer, the landlord of Augustiner Stammhaus. Vollmer pondered what quintessential Munich flavor could be paired with a doughnut, concluding that “what has more Munich DNA than the Munich Weisswurst?” To bring his vision to life, he collaborated with Conditorei Kreutzkamm, a renowned confectionery. Legend has it that the Weisswurst itself was invented during Carnival, reportedly when a landlord, running out of casings for veal sausages, resorted to using larger pig casings.
A Giant Weisswurst, Burger-Style
The creators have reimagined the sausage for this special occasion. They developed an oversized Weisswurst, approximately ten centimeters in diameter and 40 centimeters in length. A slice of this substantial sausage is then placed within a cut-open doughnut, akin to a doughnut-sausage burger. This is complemented by a blend of Munich Weisswurst mustard and Düsseldorf Löwensenf. “This adds a kick and a touch of carnival flair,” explained Tobias Ranzinger, spokesperson for the inner-city restaurateurs.
Breaking Tradition: The 12 PM Rule Doesn’t Apply
Traditionally, Weisswurst should not be consumed after the midday bell. However, this rule does not apply to the Weisswurst Doughnut. “We’ve had refrigerators for well over 100 years,” Ranzinger noted. The Weisswurst eating custom, which today is largely maintained for historical reasons, originated in a time when food spoiled quickly due to a lack of proper refrigeration.
Interestingly, there is no special recipe for the sausage meat itself, nor is the doughnut dough unique. Confectioner Katharina Kreutzkamm-Aumüller confirmed that the dough is the same as for other doughnuts, containing “a tiny bit of sugar” for flavor, along with a hint of vanilla and orange. “It sounds much more exotic than it tastes. I find it delicious – something completely different,” said Kreutzkamm-Aumüller. Even Munich’s Economic Officer, Christian Scharpf, gave his seal of approval after tasting, declaring it “incredibly impressed” and adding, “It definitely needs a beer with it.”
A History of Wacky Carnival Doughnuts
This isn’t the first time Carnival has inspired unusual doughnut creations. In 2019, a baker from Miesbach gained attention with a Leberkäs (meatloaf) doughnut. A few years later, he introduced a sausage doughnut featuring pork sausages, onions, ketchup, and curry powder – a creation that both repulsed and intrigued customers. Competition for the Leberkäs doughnut emerged from Lower Bavaria, where a baker’s apprentice invented the Goaßmaß doughnut (Goaßmaß is a drink made from dark beer, cola, and cherry liqueur). Last year, a butcher in Franconia released a bacon-jam doughnut.
While mustard and ketchup are intentionally added to today’s specialty doughnuts, they were once used in Carnival pranks, secretly filling doughnuts to observe the victim’s reaction upon biting into them.
