Goetta is a breakfast sausage made with oats, pork, beef, whole grains, and seasonings, brought to the US by German immigrants in the late 1800s. It is now available in various forms and is popular in the Cincinnati region, with festivals celebrating it. It is also used in various dishes and sold in grocery stores and restaurants.
Goetta is a blend of oats, pork, beef, whole grains, and seasonings brought to the United States by German immigrants who moved to the Cincinnati, Ohio area in the late 1800s. Traditionally, it is a breakfast sausage, often prepared as a sausage patties. The product is also available in link and sandwich form as well as a hamburger format, and is no longer just a breakfast item.
This sausage is made with ground beef, often from pork shoulder, but sometimes also contains beef. It is seasoned with bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper and sometimes contains onions or other greens. For breakfast, goetta is often served with ketchup, gelatin, sugar, or syrup.
If made from scratch, the ingredients are mixed and simmered. The mixture is then poured into pans and refrigerated until solid before being cut up for frying or frozen for later use.
Originally, goetta was a peasant dish that lengthened the amount of meat available for several days. A similar product known as scrapple is popular in the Pennsylvania Dutch area. Along with the pork, the scrap contains cornmeal, as opposed to the oats used in goetta. It is a regional favorite in the Cincinnati region, and although there are many local producers, even though most of the commercial products consumed in the area come from a single producer.
Over time, festivals celebrating goetta have become popular. One such event started in 2001 and is known as the “original” Goettafest. It is held in Covington, Kentucky in MainStrausse Village, an area of businesses and restaurants located just a few blocks from the Ohio River. Another festival honoring the German sausage-like product is held nearby in Newport, Kentucky in August. Both festivals include food, dance, art, music and other entertainment.
Food that used to be a cold breakfast staple has become really trendy. As the product’s popularity spreads, Goetta pizza and even Reuben’s sandwiches are sold. The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati even sells hamburgers and sausage dogs at its concession stands. Also known as oatmeal sausage, it’s readily available in grocery stores in the northern Kentucky and southwestern Ohio areas, and local restaurants feature it in omelettes, hash, nachos, and other dishes.
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