Saumagen stuffing consists of potatoes and pork, usually spiced with onions, marjoram, nutmeg and white pepper; various recipes also mention cloves, coriander, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, cardamom, basil, caraway, allspice, and parsley.
To warm it again, the saumagen is cut into slices approximately 1⁄2 to 1 inch thick (1.3 to 2.5 cm), which are then fried in an open pan.
[citation needed] There is controversy regarding the origin of the dish: one theory claims that saumagen was created in the 18th century by Palatinate farmers to make use of slaughtering residues (schlachtreste).
[4] Helmut Kohl, the German chancellor from 1982 to 1998, loved saumagen and had it served to visiting heads of state and government, including Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
[3] Some Germans viewed this attachment as a sign that Kohl was unsophisticated and provincial, but some saw it as a clever way of advertising his home region, as local butchers and restaurants experienced an increase of saumagen sales during and after state visits.