(German, literally means 'liver-cheese'; sometimes spelled ''Leberkäs'' or ''Leberka(a)s'') in Austria and the Swabian,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n and

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...

n parts of Germany, 'leverkaas' in

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and ''Fleischkäse'' ("meat-cheese") in

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...

, Switzerland and

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

) is a specialty food found in the south of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and parts of Switzerland, similar to

bologna sausage Bologna sausage, informally baloney ( ), is a sausage derived from the Italian mortadella, a similar-looking, finely ground pork sausage, originally from the city of Bologna (). Typical seasonings for bologna include black pepper, nutmeg, a ...

. It consists of corned beef,

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

and bacon and is made by grinding the ingredients very finely and then baking it as a

loaf A loaf ( : loaves) is a (usually) rounded or oblong mass of food, typically and originally of bread. It is common to bake bread in a rectangular bread pan, also called a loaf pan, because some kinds of bread dough tend to collapse and spread ...

in a

bread pan A bread pan, also called a loaf pan, is a kitchen utensil in the form of a container in which bread is baked. Its function is to shape bread while it is rising during baking. The most common shape of the bread pan is the loaf, or narrow rect ...

until it has a crunchy brown crust. Variations may be made of other meats such as

horse meat Horse meat forms a significant part of the culinary traditions of many countries, particularly in Eurasia. The eight countries that consume the most horse meat consume about 4.3 million horses a year. For the majority of humanity's early existen ...

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, or may contain additional ingredients such as cheese or minced

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

. ''Leberkäse'' is also called ''Fleischlaib'', which literally means "meat-loaf" in German, but it is not a

meatloaf Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients and formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray, or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. ...

, which in German is called ''Hackbraten'' (literally "ground roast", from ''Hackfleisch'', "

ground meat Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, incl ...

", and ''ein Braten'', "a

roast Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelizatio ...

"), ''faschierter Braten'' (literally "

minced Mincing is a food preparation technique in which food ingredients are finely divided into uniform pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than diced or chopped foods, and is often prepared with a chef's knife or food processor, or in the case ...

", from ''faschieren'', "to mince", and ''ein Braten'', "a

"), ''Wiegebraten'', ''falscher Hase'' ("false hare" or "faux hare") and ''Heuchelhase'' ("mock-hare").

History

'' Fleischkäse'' is said to have been invented in 1776, although this story has been heavily contested. The name ''" Leberkäse"'' literally translates to "liver-cheese" but developed by folk etymology from an archaic form of the word '' Laib'' ("loaf") and '' Käse'' ("cheese") (''cf.'' English "

head cheese Head cheese (Dutch: ''hoofdkaas'') or brawn is a cold cut terrine or meat jelly that originated in Europe. It is made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig (less commonly a sheep or cow), typically set in aspic, and usually eaten cold, ...

"), although it traditionally contains neither liver nor cheese. According to the origin of the word, Leberkäse means "left-overs in a box", which also aptly describes the production of the product. Its modern name is misleading, as Leberkäse originally had no reference to the organ liver, as is still the case today in the Bavarian ''Leberkas''. "Leber" is originally derived from

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

'' leiba'', meaning "left-over". The suffix ''-kas'' is a dialect variant for "Kasten", i.e. "box". According to German food laws, only products called "Bavarian Leberkäse" are allowed not to contain liver; otherwise, there must be a minimum liver content of 4%. Some local variants must contain even more liver; for example, the liver content of " Stuttgarter Leberkäse" must be at least 5%. The type without liver is normally called '' Fleischkäse'' (literally "meat-cheese") if it is not made in Bavaria.

Preparation

Leberkäse is widespread in

, Switzerland,

, and

, and ingredients may vary from region to region. The most common meat is lean pork or pork belly, ground fine with herbs and spices that may include coriander, mace, ginger,

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

, and

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

. A

curing salt Curing salt is used in meat processing to generate a pinkish shade and to extend shelf life. It is both a color agent and a means to facilitate food preservation as it prevents or slows spoilage by bacteria or fungus. Curing salts are generall ...

is also used, typically Prague Powder #1, which helps the dish retain its pinkish hue. The meat batter is baked in a

loaf pan A bread pan, also called a loaf pan, is a kitchen utensil in the form of a container in which bread is baked. Its function is to shape bread while it is rising during baking. The most common shape of the bread pan is the loaf, or narrow rectangl ...

until the top develops a brown crust.

Consumption

''Leberkäse'' is traditionally enjoyed in a variety of ways, including: *Most of the time, it is served hot on a ''Semmel'' (hard wheat flour bread-roll) and traditionally seasoned with

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

or pickles. The result, generally called ''Leberkäsesemmel'' (in Swabia and the

n parts of Bavaria, ''Leberkäsweckle'', ''Leberkäsweggla'' or LKW in short), is a staple of South-German and Austrian fast food stalls, butcher shops and supermarkets. *Cut into approximately finger-thick slices, usually served with traditionally medium hot

or Bavarian sweet mustard or sometimes

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among o ...

and accompanied by soft pretzels,

Sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , "sour cabbage") is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferm ...

or ''Kartoffelsalat'' (

potato salad Potato salad is a salad dish made from boiled potatoes, usually containing a dressing and a variety of other ingredients such as boiled eggs and raw vegetables. In the United States, it is generally considered a side dish and usually accompanie ...

). *Pan-fried (''abgebräunt'' or ''gebraten'', "browned"), in which case it is commonly accompanied by a

fried egg A fried egg, also known as sunny-side up is a cooked dish made from one or more eggs which are removed from their shells and placed into a frying pan and fried. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast in many countries but may also be ser ...

and German

, or ''Bratkartoffeln'' (

home fries Home fries (US, Canada), house fries (US), American fries (US), fried potatoes (UK, Canada and regional US), Bratkartoffeln (German), bistro potatoes (southeastern US), or peasant potatoes are a type of basic potato dish made by pan- or skillet ...

) and sometimes spinach. This is a very common ''

Biergarten A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

'' dish. *Cold, cut into very thin slices and used on a variety of

sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

es, usually seasoned with

pickled cucumber A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar ...

s. *Two slices of ''Leberkäse'' with a slice of ham and cheese in the middle are dipped into eggs and coated with breadcrumbs and then fried in the pan. This variant is called '' falsches Cordon Bleu'' ("mock Cordon Bleu").

Variants

Known variants include: * ''Käseleberkäse'', which adds small pieces of evenly distributed cheese to the mix. * ''Paprika-Leberkäse'' (German ''Paprika'' = bell pepper), which adds small pieces of pickles and

bell peppers The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...

. * ''Pizzaleberkäse'', which adds cheese, cut bell peppers, pickles and small cubes of salami, named for its similarity to pizza. * ''Pferdeleberkäse'' (German ''Pferd'' = horse), which is indeed made of horse-meat (German ''Pferdefleisch''), otherwise not widely consumed in the German language area. Popular in Vienna, Austria. * ''Zwiebelleberkäse'' (German ''Zwiebel'' = onion), which is made with onions. Common in the Swabian and

n regions of Germany. * ''Pikanter Leberkäse'', which adds spices and is very popular in Austria. In addition, many butchers have invented their own unique varieties.

History

Preparation

Consumption

Variants

See also