German cuisine widely available, but do not play an important role. Meat is usually braised; fried dishes also exist, but these recipes usually originate from France and Austria. Several cooking methods used to soften tough cuts have evolved into national specialties, including "Sauerbraten" (sour roast), involving marinating beef, horse meat or venison in a vinegar or wine vinegar mixture over several days. A long tradition of sausage-making exists in Germany; more than 1,500 different types of sausage () are made. Most "Wurst" is made with natural casings of pork, sheep or lamb intestines. Among the most popular and most common are "Bratwurst",
German Institute of Food Technologies and Technology Contact Center" (unitransfer) at the University of Hanover. The aims of this cooperative network are knowledge sharing between the members and the support of small and medium-sized enterprises. In May 2009 the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrück and the DIL signed an agreement for a long-term cooperation for future research and education. As result of this cooperation a statewide new academic course was established for the fall semester 2008; the Bachelor of Engineering “Food Production Engineering and Business”. The German Institute of Food Technologies functions as one of the main coordinating bodies. Along with the University of