90 and as snappy as ever – the popular sausage “Bell Würstli”
05.03.2014, Switzerland
It all began 90 years ago at the Basel Carnival “Morgenstraich” event: the sausage “Bell Würstli” was served for the first time on 10 March 1924. It took first Basel and then the rest of Switzerland by storm with a secret blend of spices and an extra lashing of home-produced beef for a snappy bite. To mark its 90th anniversary the sausage “Bell Würstli” is being produced in a jubilee wrapping. Bell is not only the creator of this special sausage, but also of the Basel Morgenstraich.
As Davide Elia, Head of Corporate Marketing and Communication at Bell explains: “From the start the sausage “Bell Würstli” has stood for values for which Bell is still famous today: tradition, quality and enjoyment. We’re not talking here about a simple sausage, but a piece of Swiss tradition that is almost legendary.”
Sausage history in the making
Samuel Bell-Löhrer, grandfather of the Bell founder, revolutionised the Basel Carnival with the introduction of the Morgenstraich event, and created a piece of Basel history. A few decades later, in 1924, the sausage “Bell Würstli” was served at the Morgenstraich for the first time. Davide Elia points to a long tradition: “Over the years the Würstli has made various high-profile public appearances – as well as appearing at the Muba consumer trade show for decades, the Würstli was prominently advertised on the trams of the Basel transport corporation back in 1947. At the 1946 Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland, Würstli served in a roll with mustard were sold for a franc a time from hawker’s trays.” Even into the 1980s many artists designed advertising posters by hand, popularising the Bell Würstli. This year the annual Morgenstraich event takes place on exactly the same date as it did 90 years ago – on 10 March.
Traditional recipe for scrumptious sausages
The sausage “Bell Würstli” owes its sensational flavour to a secret blend of spices, gentle hardwood smoking, and an extra lashing of Swiss beef that lends the sausage its unrivalled snappiness. Aside from plenty beef, the sausage also contains pork, bacon, rind and spices. The Würstli has been produced according to virtually the same recipe for 90 years and, then as now, you can tell the genuine product by the seal – on every pair of Würstli you will find the typical original Bell seal as mark of quality. Previously canned or bottled, to mark its 90th anniversary the Würstli is presented in a jubilee wrapping.
