Die Teewurst (”tea sausage”) is a German sausage made from 2 parts of raw pork and 1 part bacon. They’re minced, seasoned, and packed in casings before being smoked over beech wood. It has to mature for 7-10 days to develop its typical flavor, and it’s easy to spread on bread. It was invented in Pommern (Pomerania) in the small Baltic town of Rügenwalde (now Darłowo, Poland) in the mid-1800′s. The name is derived from the habit of serving it on sandwiches at tea time. Up to 1945, the sausage industry in Rügenwalde was well established and this was its best-known product. In 1927, the term Rügenwalder Teewurst was declared a Protected designation of origin. After WW2, sausage makers from Rügenwalde fled or were expelled to West Germany, where they established new companies and resumed production. They registered the trademark in 1957. Today, only companies that once had their HQ in Rügenwalde can use the term Rügenwalder Teewurst. All others just call theirs “Teewurst” or “Rügenwalde-style” Teewurst.