What is leberkase, and why might someone be hesitant to try it despite its popularity in Germany?

 

What is leberkase, and why might someone be hesitant to try it despite its popularity in Germany?

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Leberkäse is a sausage which is not filled into a casing and cooked but which is baked in a loaf pan. You can also call it a kind of meat loaf.

It is made of finely ground pork, bacon and a few spices. Sometimes, there is also beef in it.

The name “Leberkäse” is confusing, because Leber means liver and Käse means cheese.

There is, however, neither liver nor cheese in Leberkäse. The word comes from a dialect and means a compact mass, like a loaf in English. (The only exception is Stuttgarter Leberkäse which contains 5% liver, so neglectable.)

To make clear that it does not contain liver, Leberkäse is now often called “Fleischkäse”.

So, why are some tourists hesitant to try it?

Maybe they do not like liver (or other offal) and think there is liver in it. A classic misunderstanding.

I would strongly recommend it. The flavour is neither strong nor unusual, very similar to a Frankfurter or Wiener (actually, it is made of the same ingredients). The crust adds some extra flavour. It is really good.

EDIT:

This one is my favourite:

You buy it raw and you bake it at home in your oven. The crust turns out perfectly, as you like it best.

And it’s super-fresh and sizzling.

We like to eat it with a fried egg, homemade radish salad (just radish, yoghurt, mustard, parsley) and south-German potato salad.