Trivia about the Thinbread Roll's Sausage
The hot dog was introduced at the Stockholm Exhibition in the summer of 1897, where German sausage makers sold hot sausages to visitors.
Before World War II, sausages were mostly locally produced, but in the post-war era wholesale operations took off and a handful of larger producers supplied the sausage kiosks. In modern times the pendulum has swung back and locally produced is once again in demand.
Hot sausage is an essential component of a TBR. From being mostly a question of boiled or grilled, the selection has evolved to encompass a wide variety of sausage types made from many different ingredients such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, fish(!) and of course a large range of vegetarian alternatives.
As far as we know, Presto Grillen was the first to offer a vegetarian tunnbrödsrulle.
Among the kiosks that sell luxury rolls, it is not uncommon to mix different types of sausage in one and the same roll.
According to unconfirmed sources, many years ago there was a kiosk at Järva krog, at the entrance to the Ulriksdal area, that sold a "korvmixrulle" (sausage mix roll) containing pieces of various types of sausage that had been split. The kiosk was probably called "Grill1" or "KorvEtt". There is reason to believe this kiosk was the first to mix different types of sausage in the same roll.
Günthers Sausage
A pioneer in providing many types of sausage was Günthers in Stockholm, which had an extremely wide selection of sausages already in the early 1980s.
Günthers Sausage is a sausage kiosk at Karlbergsvägen 66 in Stockholm. It was founded by Günter Schwarz who in the 1980s introduced a more exotic selection of sausages than was commonly found in Swedish sausage kiosks. The sausages were served in baguette bread with Günter Schwarzs own chimichurri sauce, "hojhoj sauce", and with sauerkraut among the possible accompaniments. The sausages were also meatier and more flavourful than normal, and he introduced varieties such as kabanos and merguez to Sweden.
While Günther was alive, tunnbrödsrullar were not served at his sausage kiosk, but the kiosks undeniable influence on the sausage selection at grill kiosks across Sweden means that TBR enthusiasts are nonetheless grateful for Günthers contribution.
Cross-grilled Sausage
Beyond the more or less endless variety of sausage types that can be served in a TBR, there are also regional differences in how the sausage is prepared.
For example in Ljusdal, where it has been a tradition for at least 60 years to split the sausage before it is fried/grilled. If you visit a kiosk that upholds this tradition, you must ask for a "round-grilled" sausage if you do not want it split.
Many types of sausage are meant to be grilled whole, which is why this tradition is presumably more common with traditional grilling sausage than with more modern varieties.
The tradition is potentially a crossover from isterband traditions.
Favourite Sausages in Tunnbrödsrullar
In a vote among Tunnbrödsrullens Vänner in 2023, the following five sausages stood out in particular:
- Kabanos from Bromma Chark
- Glennkorv from Johan i Hallen
- Stockholmare from Gudruns
- Värstingkorv from Bromma Chark
- Chorizo from Per i Viken
Kiosks That Stand Out for Their Great Sausages
The following five kiosks have the best sausage according to our users: