How Is Leberkase Made?

There are two types of meat loaf made from different ingredients. The Bavarian meat loaf contains no liver and is also known as meat loaf. Varieties that were produced outside of Bavaria contain liver, like our liver spaetzle. The proportion of liver in the Stuttgarter and the coarse Leberkäse must be at least five percent.

Otherwise, the roast may contain coarsely desiccated beef, fatty pork, rindless bacon, water, onions, salt, and marjoram. The whole thing is chopped up very finely, and the mixture is poured into a loaf pan and baked in the oven. When a brown crust has formed, the meat loaf is ready. Would you like to try the specialty? With our recipe you can make liver loaf yourself.

Although the name might suggest it, the term originally had nothing to do with liver, nor with cheese. There are two main theories about the origin of the word: the two old German word stems “Lab” and “Kasi” are terms for the coagulation of protein by heating it, for example by boiling or frying. Accordingly, the term would be due to the type of production. The other theory is that it is a variation of the word loaf combined with the word cheese. Loaf comes from the fact that the meat loaf is baked in a loaf pan and therefore looks like a loaf of bread. Cheese describes the firm, compact consistency of the meat specialty. There are other varieties of Leberkäse that are made in the same way with other types of meat and ingredients.

The meat loaf is eaten in different ways. It is suitable, for example, as a cold cold cut or cut into strips as a sausage salad. But it is also eaten warm, for example on a slice of bread, in a roll with mustard or fried with a fried egg and potato salad. It can also be breaded or filled with ham and cheese à la cordon bleu.