Foodblogging: Leberkäse-Krapfen

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This was a “trend food” of 2019, mixing salty-savory Leberkäse with a sweet jelly donut. Nobody’s talking about it this year, so today I tried it at home, following the instructions left by the baker who claims responsbility.

Try this at home!

Leberkäse is often translated as “liver cheese” or “meat loaf” but it is not cheese, does not necessarily contain actual liver, and bears no resemblance to American meatloaf. It’s created from bits of pork and beef ground very finely with onions and spices, then baked in loaves until the outside forms a nice crust. It was invented in Munich in the 18th century by a court butcher from northern Germany, and every butcher has their own recipe. There are also regional variations, and different mix-ins, like cheese, herbs, horsemeat…I probably won’t try that last one.

Generally here it is eaten on a bread roll with mustard (sweet or yellow), Leberkassemmeln, the original Bavarian fast food. This is the stereotypical snack of police, the way we joke about American cops with donuts: I have seen uniformed officers picking up several dozen to-go at the butcher in my neighborhood. But I have also seen schoolchildren, office workers, and giant men in work pants waiting in line for one. They have a good recipe, and they were happy to slice it thinly for me today:

A jelly donut with Leberkäse

Today is Faschingsdienstag, the last day for Krapfen. I dawdled too long after breakfast and all the baker had left was plum jelly and quark, but plum sauce is a classic accompaniment to pork, so let’s go!

My first impression was that it was a little dry, as the jelly-to-
Leberkäse ratio was a little off. I added some apricot marmelade. The powdered sugar was messier than expected, but overall the taste was good. The dough was not overly sweet and the meat and fruit complimented each other well.

I will do this again–next year.