If you’re like most Americans, you’ve never heard of a food called “goetta.” And you’re not sure how to pronounce it.
Turns out you’d pronounce it like this: gedda or get-uh. If you’re wondering what it is, goetta is a regionally known breakfast food that is popular in Cincinnati, Ohio and parts of nearby Kentucky.
Goetta is a German-American creation that typically combines ground pork and steel-cut oats, otherwise known as pin oats in Cincinnati. Goetta patties are often thought of as breakfast sausages. Because they have pin oats, there’s a nutty texture you won’t find in other breakfast sausages.
Pin oats are high in fiber and protein and low in calories—a lot of people appreciate that, as you’d imagine. They’ll also supply you with Vitamin B; they’re nutritious.
Goetta can be eaten as is, or incorporated into omelets or grilled cheese sandwiches, so it’s versatile. Some people eat goetta covered with ketchup or maple syrup, depending on their personal preference.
Werling & Sons, a family operated canned meat supplier out of Ohio, offers “Grandma Werling’s Goetta” available in a 14.5oz can. The ingredients include pork, hydrated pin oats, water, salt and pepper, and thankfully no preservatives. Since it’s canned, you do not have to refrigerate it, and it has a long shelf-life, so you can save it in your pantry for use at a future date rather than right away.
If you’ve never tried goetta, now’s your chance to have it sent to your home and see what you think. It could become one of your new favorite canned meats, and a staple of your breakfast routine!