The Mettigel isn’t quite as unappetizing as it sounds. Mett is ground meat, usually pork, and an Igel means “hedgehog”. And while a Mettigel definitely isn’t made of hedgehog itself, it is shaped to look like one, hence the name. With this dish, pretzel sticks or sliced onions are often used to form the spines of the edible hedgehog.
The Mettigel was quite popular in the 1950s in Germany, often showing up on appetizer trays at parties and served with toothpicks for easy consumption. It seems like what old is new again, because these strange German appetizers are enjoying a sort of renaissance and are once again popular in the hipster scene in Berlin and Hamburg.
In Northern and Eastern Germany, the Mettigel is often called a Hackepeterigel instead. In these regions, Hackepeter means “minced meat”. Have you tasted a Mettigel before?
By Bradford Elder, German Embassy
