Members of the German Butchers’ Association (DFV, short for “Deutscher Fleischer-Verband”) are judging hundreds of meats from across North America at an international competition being held this week on the UW-Madison campus.
The DFV and the American Association of Meat Processors have partnered to bring the 2019 Competition for Sausage and Ham to UW-Madison. Communication Manager for AAMP Diana Dietz said the meat is judged by German Master Craft Butchers based on its aroma, taste, texture and defects.
The German Master Craft Butchers, DFV members who have trained for over six years, are faced with the task of judging 460 meat entries from 42 butcher shops and meat plants across the United States and Canada.
DFV holds an international competition every three years in Frankfurt, Germany. However, Dietz said many Americans have trouble getting their meat products through customs, so it is difficult for them to compete.
“This satellite competition allows American butchers to participate without having to leave the country,” Dietz said. “The results of this competition will be honored at the Frankfurt competition in May.”
Dietz said there are faculty at UW-Madison that are alliance members of AAMP, which made campus the prime location to host the satellite competition.
“There are resources available on campus that help us run a competition of this nature,” Dietz said. “Also, a majority of our membership is in the Midwest, so this is a key location for people who need to bring or ship their products here.”
UW-Madison community members have been engaging with the competition by sampling the meat and watching the judging take place, Dietz said.
Students and faculty can see the competition in action until Friday when the judging will conclude and the winners will be chosen. There is a gold, silver or bronze metal the entries can win. Dietz said the winners will be invited to Germany to personally accept their awards.
