A better sandwich, perfect for 'bread-time'.
It’s 11:00am, breakfast feels like hours ago but you’re not quite ready for lunch. If you’re experiencing a mid-morning lull, then it’s probably time for Brotzeit. Not to be confused with brunch, instead of combining the two first meals, breakfast and lunch, Germans have instead done the opposite and added an extra meal to the day. The German equivalent of Pippin’s ‘elevensies’. Eaten around 10:30am to 11:00am, Brotzeit literally translates to ‘bread-time’, however the meaning of the word more accurately conveys that it is simply time for a snack.
If you’ve just jumped off the train at Munich Central Station, or you’re wandering through Marienplatz waiting to hear the 11:00am Rathaus-Glockenspiel, you’ll only need to walk a couple of extra Schritt (steps) to appease that late morning knurrender Magen (rumbling tummy). Put your nose to good use and let yourself float in the direction of baking bread and sizzling sausages. Rustle a few euros from your bag and drop them down for the perfect Brotzeit snack - Leberkässemmel.
Leberkäse is thick, light and airy, slightly spiced, and deliciously savoury.
A Leberkässemmel is a slice of processed pork and beef (the Leberkäse) that has been roasted or fried and then slapped between two halves of a crunchy bread bun (the Semmel). Topping it off, a sweet and tangy, seeded Munich mustard is daubed inside the bun to cut through the aromatic saltiness of the meat. In one bite you’ve got salt, fat, and acid. Regardless of whether you’re eating it in Southern Germany, Austria, or parts of Switzerland (where it’s better known as Fleischkäse), the Leberkäse should always generously hang out a good inch from all sides of the bun, defying the standard sandwich look; it ought to take a couple of appetising bites of pure Leberkäse before you get to the bun. Do not mistake it for the dense and significantly heavier, processed tasting spam, or omnipresent mortadella; Leberkäse is thick, light and airy, slightly spiced, and deliciously savoury. The fluffier the better – that’s the measure of quality.
Leberkäse mixes the pork and beef with speck (a lightly cured, lightly smoked ham), and includes spices such as pimento (allspice), nutmeg, pepper, sweet paprika, and garlic, all through a processor until it is well combined and has agreeably emulsified. Each Metzgerei (butcher) will make their own and recipes will spoon in slightly different amounts of spice and ingredients, which varies the overall texture and taste. Despite their differences however, all butchers similarly believe that their version is the tastiest. The cohesive mixture is shaped into large rectangular tins, resembling the shape of a block of cheese, which is partly where it gets its name from – Käse meaning cheese. The tins of mixture are then roasted for around an hour, and bringing the loaf out of the oven, the end product has a wonderfully burnt ‘crust’.
Want directions to the best Leberkässemmel in Munich? It’s a little shop past the Bayerischer Hof. On your left and right, cobblestoned streets branch away, inviting you to explore the little shops and cafes lining them. You’re in the Altstadt or old town so why not visit the München Residenz (palace) on the way. Keep going along the HypoVereins bank and you’ll find the shop opposite the Greek Orthodox church. Should you regrettably lose your way however, there are plenty of places to grab a Leberkässemmel. Metzgereien or Würstlstände as they are called in Austria, are cosy little sausage stands that are on almost every corner of a Munich block. If you find yourself back at Marienplatz, finish off your Leberkässemmel while watching the Glockenspiel tell the story of Duke Wilhelm V’s marriage and then wash it all down with a cold beer at a nearby brewery.
Ibis Award: Two.
It is one of the most incredibly underrated processed meats and sandwiches outside of Germanic-speaking countries, yet it steamrolls over mortadella, bologna/polony, spam, and devon.
Ibis Tip: Where to buy Leberkäse in Australia? The best by far is from The German Butchery Deli and Café in Bexley North, Sydney. If you’re in Victoria, you can purchase Leberkäse from The German Butchery stockists, alongside Oakwood in Castlemaine and various stockists of Oakwood products. Then there's also stockists of SA’s Barossa Leberkäse as well.
Ibis Tip: Sydney’s German Butchery Deli and Café and Castlemaine's Coffee Basics Das Kaffeehaus can make you a piping hot Leberkässemmel to go along with a coffee if you’d like the experts to handle it for you.
Ibis Tip: Try your Leberkässemmel with Dijon mustard or German imported Thomy mustard (found in the Woolworths international/European section), instead of regular old tomato sauce.
Ibis Tip: If you’re having an early Brotzeit, you might be lucky enough to score the Anschnitt, the first slice of the Leberkäse, similar to the 'burnt ends' of a bracing BBQ brisket.
Ibis Tip: Not in the mood for bread or gluten? Fry an egg and put it on top of your slice of Leberkäse, serving it up with some probiotic-rich sauerkraut.
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