Labskaus () is a culinary speciality from northern Germany and in particular from the cities of Bremen,

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, and

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

. The main ingredients are salted meat or corned beef, potatoes, and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...

. Some recipes put beetroot, pickled

gherkin 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, or ...

, or even herring into it, while others have these ingredients as side dishes.SPIEGEL Online on Labskaus in Hamburg (German)
Der Spiegel

Etymology

The origin of this word is uncertain. One possible source for the name could be Latvian ''Labs kauss'', meaning 'good bowl' or hotpot, or Lithuanian ''labas káušas'', meaning the same. The dish became common amongst

sailors A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and seamen during the time of the great ships. Potatoes and salted meats were a standard fare and Labskaus would make a less-than-fresh cut of meat more palatable and stretch the meat supply. Labskaus is now commonly served in restaurants only on Germany's northern coast, as well as in traditional

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

restaurants. Compare with

scouse Scouse (; formally known as Liverpool English or Merseyside English) is an accent and dialect of English associated with Liverpool and the surrounding county of Merseyside. The Scouse accent is highly distinctive; having been influenced he ...

Preparation

The meal is traditionally prepared by boiling the

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

in broth and then mincing it with the beetroot, onions, boiled potatoes and herring (some recipes use

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

). Finally the base is fried in lard, condiments as

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

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 ...

, coriander, or allspice are added.Labskaus mit Rote-Bete-Salat
recipe at NDR The dish is similar to the British hash. Countless variations of the dish exist. For example, in Bremen, 95 km (60 miles) away from Hamburg, Labskaus usually is a preparation of fried corned beef, onions and mashed

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es with the beetroot and '' Rollmops'' being served as a side dish. Variations of the dish are also to be found in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, generally without the use of herring. In

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, the dish is similar to the Bremen version, but without the herring and some times with added

gravy Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a simple mix of salt ...

. In Sweden, ''Lapskojs'' is a stew made with beef and mashed potatoes. In

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, the word '' lapskaus'' more often refers to a variation of

beef stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and m ...

often made with gravy, or in some cases other types of stew,Lapskaus: a Hearty Norwegian Stew
at ''Nordic Nibbler'', 8 November 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2022 more or less identical to the Liverpudlian

References

Beef dishes North German cuisine Danish cuisine German beef dishes {{germany-cuisine-stub

Etymology

Preparation

See also

References