A ''Schlachteplatte'', ''Schlachtplatte'', ''Schlachtschüssel'' (Southern German), or ''Metzgete'' (Swiss and southwestern part of Baden-Württemberg in Germany) is a hearty German dish
that primarily consists of boiled
pork belly
Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless, fatty Primal cut, cut of pork from the Abdomen, belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in American cuisine, American, British cuisine, British, Swedish cuisine, Swedish, Danish cuisine, Danish, ...
(''Kesselfleisch'') and freshly cooked ''
Blutwurst'' and ''
Leberwurst
Liverwurst, leberwurst, or liver sausage is a kind of sausage made from liver. It is eaten throughout Europe, as well as North and South America, notably in Argentina and Chile.
Some liverwurst varieties are spreadable. Liverwurst usually contai ...
'' sausages. The cooking process produces sausage juices which, together with any split sausages, are used as a soup known as ''
Metzelsuppe''. As a result, in many places, e.g. in parts of
the Palatinate
The Palatinate (; ; Palatine German: ''Palz''), or the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz''), is a historical region of Germany. The Palatinate occupies most of the southern quarter of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate (''Rheinla ...
, the entire festival and the meal in particular are known as ''Metzelsupp''.
Common accompaniments to a ''Schlachtplatte'' are ''
sauerkraut
Sauerkraut (; , ) is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugar ...
'' and bread or
potato
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
es or, in South Germany,
potato pancake
Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes consisting of grated or ground potato, matzo meal or flour and a binding ingredient such as egg or apple sauce, often flavored with grated garlic or onion and seasonings. They may be topped with a var ...
s (''Dotsch'' or ''Reiberdatschi''). Other elements might be fresh ''
Bratwurst
''Bratwurst'' () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German , from , finely chopped meat, and , sausage, although in modern German it is often associated with the ver ...
'' and ''
Mettwurst
Mettwurst () is a strongly flavored German sausage made from raw minced pork preserved by curing and smoking, often with garlic. The southern German variety is soft and similar to Teewurst. Braunschweiger Mettwurst is partially smoked but st ...
'' or raw, spiced bratwurst filling. In
Rhinehessen
Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (, ) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is ...
it is also common to enrich the dish with a sauce from part of the pig's blood (''Schweinepfeffer'' or ''Schwarz Brie'').
The word is derived from ''schlachten'', "to slaughter", and ''Platte'', "dish", because, traditionally, it is only eaten on the day of
slaughter; before the invention of refrigerators blood and sensitive organs like
liver
The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...
had to be prepared straight away. Meat, which did not have to be consumed immediately was preserved by
salting,
drying
Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be consider ...
and
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
. The slaughtering day offered a rare opportunity to eat fresh meat which explains why the ''Schlachtplatte'' is a rather lavish meal.
Originally these slaughtering days took place mainly in the autumn. This meant that not so many animals had to be fed over the winter, so the meat could be preserved for longer in the cooler temperatures and the farmers had more time after the last harvest for turning it into
ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
and
sausage
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders.
...
s which could then be smoked over the winter hearth fire.
See also
*
Berner Platte
The ''Berner Platte'' ( English: Bernese plate) is a traditional meat dish of Bernese cuisine in Switzerland. It consists of various meat and sausage varieties such as smoked pork and beef, pork belly, sausage, bacon and pork ears or tails cooke ...
– a similar dish
*
Choucroute garnie
''Choucroute garnie'' ( French for ''dressed sauerkraut'') is an Alsatian recipe of sauerkraut with sausages and other salted meats and charcuterie, and often potatoes.
Although sauerkraut is a traditionally German and Eastern European dish, wh ...
– a similar French dish
*
List of meat dishes
This is a list of notable meat dishes. Some meat dishes are prepared using two or more types of meat, while others are only prepared using one type. Furthermore, some dishes can be prepared using various types of meats, such as the enchilada, whic ...
References
External links
German pork dishes
Food combinations
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