Leberkäse

Leberkäse

Leberkäse
Type	Sausage
Region or state	Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Main ingredients	Corned beef, pork and bacon
Variations	Käseleberkäse
Media: Leberkäse

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Leberkäse (help·info) (German, literally means 'liver cheese'; sometimes spelled Leberkäs or Leberka(a)s in Austria and the Swabian, Bavarian and Franconian parts of Germany and Fleischkäse in Saarland, Baden, Switzerland and Tyrol), is a specialty food found in the south of Germany, in Austria and parts of Switzerland, similar to bologna sausage. It consists of corned beef, pork and bacon and is made by grinding the ingredients very finely and then baking it as a loaf in a bread pan until it has a crunchy brown crust.

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"), although it traditionally contains neither liver nor cheese. According to the origin of the word, Leberkäse means "leftovers 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 leiba, meaning "leftover". 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%^{[citation needed]}. The type without liver is normally called Fleischkäse (meat cheese) if it is not made in Bavaria.

Methods of eating[]

Leberkässemmel

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 or pickles. The result, generally called Leberkäsesemmel (in Swabia and the Franconian 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 mustard or Bavarian sweet mustard or sometimes ketchup and accompanied by soft pretzels, Sauerkraut or Kartoffelsalat (potato salad).
• Pan-fried (abgebräunt or gebraten, "browned"), in which case it is commonly accompanied by a fried egg and German potato salad, or Bratkartoffeln (home fries) and sometimes spinach. This is a very common Biergarten dish.
• Cold, cut into very thin slices and used on a variety of sandwiches, usually seasoned with pickled cucumbers.
• 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").

Preparation[]

Leberkäse is widespread in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and ingredients may vary from region to region. The most common ingredients are some form of lean pork, pork belly and ice. Herbs and spices may include coriander and ginger as well as salt and pepper. A Curing salt is also used, typically Prague Powder #1, which gives the Leberkäse a pinkish hue. These ingredients are blended together in a food processor to a smooth consistency, then placed into a loaf pan and cooked through until the top develops a brown crust.

Variants[]

Pizzaleberkäse

Known variants include:

• Käseleberkäse, which adds small pieces of evenly distributed cheese to the mix
• Paprika Leberkäse, which adds small pieces of pickles and bell peppers
• 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, 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 Franconian regions of Germany.
• Pikanter Leberkäse, which adds spices and is very popular in Austria.

In addition, many butchers have invented their own unique varieties.

See also[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leberkäse.

You can also find a recipe for Leberkäse here.

Enjoy it with potato salad or simply with sweet mustard and fresh onion on a roll.