Volkswagen Sausage and the Enduring Appeal of Culinary Car-Industry Crossovers

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2025-01-17 14:00:04

This article is adapted from the January 11, 2025, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here.

Last week, in a store in Bologna, Italy, I spotted something interesting. Outside on the street, Fiat cars were zipping by. In front of me, a box of chocolates also sported a Fiat logo. These were no recent brand tie-in. In 1911, the car company held a contest between Italy’s chocolate companies, with the goal of releasing a confection to celebrate their new “Tipo 4” model. The winning chocolate, the Fiat cremino, is still sold today. More on that later. Here at Atlas Obscura, we talk a lot about the food available on planes and trains. But what about cars, and their connection to food? It’s easy to think of a car as merely a conveyance to a restaurant, or as the place to eat an unglamorous fast-food meal while on the road. But food and cars go way back. Some people are surprised to learn that the Michelin stars that celebrate the world’s greatest restaurants are doled out by the same company that makes tires. In the early 20th century, though, motorists needed places to go in their new vehicles. In 1900, French brothers André and Édouard Michelin began distributing a booklet of travel information to customers to help them navigate the roads, fill their tanks, and fill their stomachs.

Over the years, car manufacturers also got into the game of publishing guides and, in the case of the Ford Motor Company, the occasional cookbook of recipes from restaurants along their recommended routes. But sometimes, car companies go one step further, lending their names to chocolates, sausages, and even iconic pieces of kitchen equipment. This week, we’re exploring a handful of these curious culinary connections.