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de:Leberkäse Leberkäse (sometimes spelled Leberkäs or Leberkas) is a specialty food found in the south of Germany, in Austria and parts of Switzerland, similar to meat pie. It consists of corned beef, bacon and onions and is made by grinding the ingredients to a very fine mass which is then placed in an oblong casserole and baked 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", and since the dish contains neither liver nor cheese, linguists have come up with an alternate etymology that involves the Middle High German word lab (to clot) and the Slavic root quas (feast). This would imply that Leberkäse was known considerably earlier than 200 years ago.
There are several ways of eating Leberkäse:
- Cut into approximately finger-thick slices which are then placed on a bun (preferably of the lye variety) while still hot and seasoned with sweet mustard. The result, generally called Leberkassemmel, is a staple of Bavarian and Austrian fast food joints.
- Alternatively, the slices can also be pan-fried ("abgebräunt"), in which case they are commonly accompanied by fried egg and potato salad. This is a very common Biergarten dish.
- Cold Leberkäse can also be cut into very thin slices and be used on a variety of sandwiches.