Leberkäse

German

Alternative forms

• Leberkäs

Etymology

The first part is probably either (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle High German lab (“to clot”) or German Laib (“loaf”); the second part is Käse (“cheese”) (because it resembles cheese). By folk etymology it was interpreted as Leber (“liver”) +‎ Käse (“cheese”), for which reason liver (and even cheese) are sometimes added to the dish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈleːbɐˌkɛːzə/ (standard; used naturally in western Germany and Switzerland)
• IPA^(key): /ˈleːbɐˌkeːzə/ (overall more common; particularly northern and eastern regions)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Le‧ber‧kä‧se

Noun

Leberkäse m (genitive Leberkäses, plural Leberkäse)

1. A dish similar to meat loaf, popular in southern Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland.

Further reading

• “Leberkäse” in Duden online
• “Leberkäse” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache