Vegan English meets Bavarian meatloaf

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When I moved from England to Munich almost a year ago, I was already prepared for some Bavarian traditions. I was excited about the Oktoberfest and in the first few weeks I bought my own dirndl, tried the different beers in the city - and to be honest I still can't say which one I like best.

But what I didn't know before and what I had to struggle with mentally in my first few weeks: Leberkäse.

In order to brush up on my knowledge of Bavarian culture and learn everything about my new environment, it was also time to get to know Leberkäse.

But wait a minute - I've been eating vegan for a long time, so real meat loaf is not allowed on my plate. But it's good that I'm working at GREENFORCE during my investigation and I was able to experience the entire development process of our groundbreaking innovation, the vegan meatloaf.

Why the term 'liver cheese'?

I persistently learned German for years and of course already knew what 'liver' and 'cheese' meant. But as a noun written together, they just caused pure confusion in my English brain. It's called Leberkäse - or Leberkas - but it doesn't contain liver or cheese?

The search for the origin of the name took me to the year 1776. At that time, the butcher of Wittelsbach Elector Karl Theodor is said to have brought a sausage product from Mannheim to Munich, which he called "Lääb Kees" or "loaf of cheese".

The word "loaf" was probably chosen because the sausage product was baked in a bread pan. The second part of the name comes from the word "Kas", which at that time stood for compact edible mass or shaped clot.

It's funny that no one complains about the name of the Leberkäse - even though there is no cheese on the list of ingredients. It's always the vegan sausages that have to stand up for their name. Unfortunately, our dear Monika Gruber was STILL not available to comment on our vegan version this time.

What's in Leberkas?

Now I already know where the mysterious name of Leberkäse comes from. But what is it actually made of?

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture explains the contents of meatloaf with the following words:

"Leberkäse is a light reddish, seasoned meat mixture made from finely chopped beef and/or pork, bacon, water, potato starch and various spices such as garlic, pepper, mace, allspice, onion and sweet paprika."

Okay, so unsuitable for me as a vegan. My head immediately replays well-known facts: for example, that around 97% of the animals for fattening in Germany are bred on factory farms. Be it cattle, pigs or chickens – these animals live and die in fear and pain. One of the reasons why I started at GREENFORCE back then.

At first I was sad because I will probably never be able to try this Bavarian tradition.

When it became clear some time ago that we at GREENFORCE were making progress with vegan meat loaf, I jumped for joy. If things go well, I'll become a real Bavarian after all. 🤝

It didn't take long for the newspapers to start rolling over again: the first vegan meatloaf is here!

If you already know the GREENFORCE range, you probably know that we are big pea fans. A large part of our products are based on the proteins thereof. Not without reason: they are much more sustainable than meat, both in their water consumption and in their land area. They are also rich in protein, contain less fat than their meaty counterpart and taste even better.

We are also always working on our own further development in terms of sustainability: We started a pilot project this year and grow some of our peas in Bavaria and Thuringia! This not only saves us unnecessary long transport times, but also improves the taste and freshness.

You can find out more about our mission here .

OK, but... how does it taste?

Of course I had to take part in the first tests straight away. I now knew why it was called Leberkäse, what it looked like and what was in it. But do not knock it 'till you try it!

This was of course my very first Leberkäse experience and I have to say, the development team at GREENFORCE has once again outdone themselves. I'm not the biggest Bavarian expert, but I do know what tastes good and what doesn't. And the Leberkäse is certainly one of the stars in terms of taste.

But don't worry: real Leberkas connoisseurs have also tested the vegan Leberkäse - and found it to be very good. Everyone is happy that there is now finally a cruelty-free version and that it can be enjoyed without a guilty conscience.

Football star Thomas Müller, as a true Bavarian, is also convinced of our vegan version. The picture speaks for itself, right?

Whether in a roll with sweet mustard, fried with potato salad, or with whatever your heart desires... Try the groundbreaking innovation now.

From NOW you can grab the Leberkäse in Edeka Südbayern and Rewe Süd. And if the innovation is not yet available in your supermarket, then print out our wish list and take it to your supermarket.
I'm really looking forward to finally being able to share this enjoyment with you!

Pfiat di,

Your Anna

Anna Jones

Anna studied German and Romance languages in England and has been vegan for 8 years. She is a big fan of fresh Köttbullar and enjoys researching news and facts in the area of veganism. If you have any comments or requests, please write to her here: online@greenforce.com