Pommes Currywurst representing the Ruhr

The Ruhr, often referred to as 'Revier' or 'Ruhrpott', is a polycentric conurbation the identity of which has been strongly shaped by its industrial heritage, particularly the coal and steel industries. After bituminous coal was discovered close to the surface in the southern parts near Witten and mined in the 18th century, extraction gradually shifted further north throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The abundant coal reserves of the region attracted steel industry and other industrial sectors. This, in turn, led to an enormous demand for labor, drawing a large number of migrant workers from countries such as Poland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and the former Yugoslavia. After large-scale coal mining has largely come to a halt, first in the southern and then increasingly also in the northern Ruhr, the region is now primarily defined by the resulting fate of a structural transformation. This included founding and expansion of universities, the development of the automotive and electrical industries, and a general strengthening of the service sector. Despite these efforts, the labour market remains under pressure, and employment challenges persist in many parts of the region. The identity of the Ruhr is shaped by the shared fate of structural change, yet it is also overlaid with diverse and multi-layered subcultures (Czierpka, Thieme, and Bock, 2024). Among these is a strong sports culture, featuring numerous amateur clubs alongside the iconic football teams Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 and Borussia 09 Dortmund; a lively music and cultural scene, highlighted by theatres and opera houses, UNESCO World Heritage sites and cultural venues, as well as a variety of festivals like the Ruhrtriennale and the Cranger Kirmes; and a food and drink culture. The latter includes pilsner and Dortmund Export, a beer style that has gained recognition far beyond the Ruhr. A regional dialect is spoken, Ruhr German, and everyday life typically centres around small neighbourhood kiosks, known as 'Büdchen' and 'Trinkhallen', where small purchases and beer can be bought. More than just places to shop, these kiosks serve as vital hubs for social interaction and expression of lived identity in many parts of the region. Pommes Currywurst is a dish typical for the Ruhr. It consist of a sausage with a curry sauce alongside French fries. Variations exist, such as serving the fries with Ketchup und Mayonnaise, which is often called 'Pommes Schranke', 'Pommes rot/weiß', or 'Mantaplatte'. The taste of Pommes Currywurst is easy to recognize, and the dish, particularly the sausage, is prepared in a particular style in the Ruhr. As the dish is characteristic of the Ruhr and also frequently eaten, it has become a symbol of it. This is even independent of where the Currywurst was invented – several regions claim the invention for themselves, including the Ruhr and Berlin. You can buy Pommes Currywurst at typical kiosks, usually called 'Pommesbude', which can be found virtually anywhere in the Ruhr, and eat them right there. They often prepare the sausage using specialized slicing machines made specifically for Currywurst, which makes the dish being available quickly after ordering. Eating Pommes Currywurst is linked to the experience of buying them at such a kiosk and eating them right there. The dish provides a lot of energy in a short time and you can get back to work after this quick refreshment. The universality, simplicity, and easy availability of the dish can be seen as a metaphor for hard and honest work, because they provide corresponding affordances. As hard and honest work is an important part of the identity of the Ruhr, Pommes Currywurst has in this way also become a representation of the Ruhr.