Würzfleisch — Germany

Würzfleisch is a dish of diced meat and mushrooms bound in a creamy, tangy sauce, closer in spirit to a fricassee than to a stew. Pork or a mix of meats, often stretched with ham, sit in a roux-based sauce sharpened with paprika, mustard and a touch of lemon or vinegar, giving it a livelier edge than a plain cream sauce. It is reported from Thuringia, in central Germany, where it is a well-established snack-counter item, sold at bakeries and quick-service stands as a fast, filling meal rather than a formal restaurant course. It is most often eaten ladled onto a halved bread roll, standing in for both plate and starch at once. Preparation starts with a roux of butter and flour, thinned with meat stock into a smooth sauce. Diced meat, ham and mushrooms are simmered in that sauce until tender, then the seasoning is built up with paprika, mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of vinegar, with cream stirred in near the end to round out the sharpness. A halved bread roll is set on a plate and the sauce ladled generously over it. Variation between batches shows mostly in the mix of meat and how sharp the sauce is left: some versions lean on pork alone, others fold in a portion of veal, kidney or extra ham, and the amount of mustard, lemon or vinegar can push the sauce from mild and creamy toward markedly tangy. It is occasionally served over rice instead of bread, though the roll remains the more common base.