{"id":7203,"date":"2018-12-16T06:55:49","date_gmt":"2018-12-16T05:55:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=7203"},"modified":"2025-02-14T18:55:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T17:55:02","slug":"leberkase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/food\/leberkase\/","title":{"rendered":"Leberk\u00e4se"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/leberkaese_small.jpg\" alt=\"Close up of Leberk\u00e4se\" class=\"wp-image-7307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/leberkaese_small.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/leberkaese_small-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>One of the best ways to ruin a fine weight-loss diet in Vienna is by eating a <em>Leberk\u00e4sesemmel<\/em>: a round white bread roll (<em>Semmel<\/em>) with a warm slice of, well, <em>Leberk\u00e4se<\/em> inside. But what is Leberk\u00e4se, exactly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fat-rich meatloaf that comes in several variations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Probably not a major component of a well-balanced diet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8230;but (unfortunately) very tasty<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/concerts-opera-vienna-tickets-l206741\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_FandD\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert &amp; dinner<\/a>* for Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/traditional-food-drink\/\">Viennese food<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/food\/bread\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"32429\">Bread &amp; Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"not-what-it-sounds-like\">Not what it sounds like<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leberkaese.jpg\" alt=\"Leberk\u00e4se in a roll\" class=\"wp-image-42750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leberkaese.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/leberkaese-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(A very basic no frills Leberk\u00e4sesemmel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The delicatessen counter at most supermarkets will happily sell you a Leberk\u00e4sesemmel. You also find it in football club canteens, markets &amp; festivals, some bars, and even at the many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/food\/sausages\/\">sausage stands<\/a> around the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let us reveal the mystery of the roll&#8217;s filling&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A quick look at your German-English dictionary tells you that <em>Leber<\/em> means liver and <em>K\u00e4se<\/em> means cheese. So what we have here is clearly &#8220;liver cheese&#8221;, a name lacking in both charm and, as it turns out, accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither liver nor cheese make an appearance in Austrian &#8220;liver cheese&#8221; (but see below). It might best be described as a kind of meatloaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The slice in your Leberk\u00e4sesemmel traditionally comes from a baked, crusty loaf, where some combination of finely-chopped pork, bacon and beef typically form the main ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes Leberk\u00e4se contains horse meat, lamb, or game as its main content, but is always labelled as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result looks a little like a pinkish pate but is much firmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you might imagine, Leberk\u00e4se is not exactly fat-free (you have been warned), but it is remarkably tasty (again, you have been warned). Common variants in Vienna are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>K\u00e4seleberk\u00e4se<\/em> &#8211; with added melted cheese, just in case you wanted even more fat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Pikant Leberk\u00e4se<\/em> &#8211; with red and green bits of spicy peppers mixed in (my favourite variety before I turned vegetarian)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Chilileberk\u00e4se<\/em> &#8211; spiced up with hot chilli<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Pferdeleberk\u00e4se<\/em> &#8211; made with horsemeat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Wildschweinleberk\u00e4se<\/em> &#8211; made with wild boar (you often get this alternative sold at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/christmas-markets\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1680\">Viennese Christmas markets<\/a>, for example)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/leberkaesepepi.jpg\" alt=\"Various street signs and a restaurant front\" class=\"wp-image-80374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/leberkaesepepi.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/leberkaesepepi-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Vienna even has a specialist snack bar selling Leberk\u00e4se for eating on site or to take away. Last I checked, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leberkaspepi.at\/\">Leberkas-Pepi<\/a> has locations at the airport, Hauptbahnhof station, Donauzentrum shopping complex, and on Operngasse in the centre of town)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You increasingly find <em>veganer Leberk\u00e4se<\/em> (vegan) options, too, particularly at those seasonal markets. This plant-based version seems to get better with each passing year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although most Leberk\u00e4se is bought and consumed hot in a roll, perhaps with ketchup or mustard, you can buy the &#8220;delicacy&#8221; in supermarkets as thin cold slices to eat like ham or as uncooked part-loaves for home baking (to be eaten in the traditional roll or on its own).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some bars and restaurants also serve Leberk\u00e4se as a dish, which often just means a more upmarket presentation of the bread and slices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So is the name Leberk\u00e4se some kind of linguistic joke?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The words Leber and K\u00e4se have nothing to do with the common meaning of each: they almost certainly stem from adaptations of traditional German words like Laib and Kas that reflect the shape and consistency of the baked loaf. But nobody knows for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laib still means loaf or cob today. A <em>Brotlaib<\/em>, for example, is a round or oval loaf of bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To really confuse matters you need to take a trip to Germany, where calling something liver cheese is a bit of a no-no unless it actually has liver in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So any Leberk\u00e4se sold in that country is expected to include liver&#8230;unless you&#8217;re in Bavaria. Outside Bavaria, liver-free Leberk\u00e4se is known as Original Bavarian Leberk\u00e4se. It\u2019s all a bit confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps you\u2019re safer sticking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/food\/wiener-schnitzel\/\">Schnitzel<\/a>. Or Vienna.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the best ways to ruin a fine weight-loss diet in Vienna is by eating a Leberk\u00e4sesemmel: a round white bread roll (Semmel) with a warm slice of, well, Leberk\u00e4se inside. But what is Leberk\u00e4se, exactly? Not what it sounds like (A very basic no frills Leberk\u00e4sesemmel) The delicatessen counter at most supermarkets will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7203","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7203"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80377,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7203\/revisions\/80377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}