The report lays the blame for the state's propensity for tipping the scales squarely on the region's hearty, calorie-rich food. No other cuisine in Germany can boast as many meat dishes as Thuringia.

 

Chief among them is the famous "Thüringer Bratwurst" or Thuringia fried sausage, a 15 to 20 cm-long sausage traditionally fried in a variety of spices and a dash of beer and served in a bun with mustard and potato salad.

 

The "Thüringer Bratwurst," it's said, is not just a dish for the average Thuringian, but a way of life. Stands selling the delicacy are ubiquitous in the region and on average an adult Thuringian, it's believed, consumes about two or three a day.

 

And as the saying goes: "past the lips, straight to the hips."

 

Alas, the gastronomic delight comes at a huge price. According to the study, treatment of problems linked to obesity costs the state of Thuringia 700 million euros a year.