Leberkäse

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Leberkäse (sometimes spelled Leberkäs or Leberka(a)s in Austria and the Swabian and Bavarian parts of Germany) is a specialty food found in the south of Germany, in Austria and parts of Switzerland, similar to meat pie. Thus in the western parts of Austria it is also commonly called Fleischkäs or Fleischka(a)s. It consists of corned beef, bacon and onions and is made by grinding the ingredients very fine and then baking it as a loaf in a bread pan until it has a crunchy brown crust.

Leberkäse is said to have been invented in 1776 by the cook of Bavarian Duke Karl Theodor, although this story has been heavily contested. The name "Leberkäse" literally translates to "liver-cheese" even though in Bavaria the dish traditionally contains neither liver nor cheese. Linguists believe that the etymlogy of the word either involves the Middle High German word lab (to clot) or the word laib (loaf), and the Slavic root quas (feast).

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%.

There are several ways of eating Leberkäse:

• Cut into approximately finger-thick slices which are then placed in a semmel while still hot and seasoned with Estragon mustard. The result, generally called Leberkässemmel, is a staple of Bavarian and Austrian fast food restaurants.

• Alternatively, the slices can also be pan-fried ("abgebräunt", browned), in which case they are commonly accompanied by a fried egg and German potato salad. This is a very common Biergarten dish sometimes called a Strammer Max.

• Cold Leberkäse can also be cut into very thin slices and be used on a variety of sandwiches.