A spreadable cooked sausage made mainly from liver (usually pork), meat, fat, and spices.
example
Zum Frühstück esse ich am liebsten ein Brötchen mit grober Leberwurst.
For breakfast, I like best to eat a bread roll with coarse liver sausage.
Usage tips
Compound structure
The word is a simple compound of 'Leber' (liver) and 'Wurst' (sausage). So it describes a type of sausage whose characteristic ingredient is liver.
EXAMPLE
Ich hätte gern 100 Gramm von der feinen Leberwurst.
I'd like 100 grams of the smooth liver sausage, please.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'die beleidigte Leberwurst spielen' (to act like the offended liver sausage / to sulk) is a fixed unit. The verb is always 'spielen' (to play). The person who is offended is the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Spiel doch nicht gleich die beleidigte Leberwurst, es war nur ein Scherz!
Don't start sulking right away; it was only a joke!
Typical collocations
Since liver sausage is usually spreadable, it is often used with the verb 'schmieren' (to spread). You say 'Leberwurst aufs Brot schmieren' (to spread liver sausage on bread). A distinction is also made between 'grober' (coarse) and 'feiner' (smooth/fine) Leberwurst.
EXAMPLE
Zum Abendessen schmiere ich mir ein Brot mit grober Leberwurst.
For dinner, I spread myself a slice of bread with coarse liver sausage.
Cultural context
The idiom comes from an old medical idea according to which the liver was the seat of feelings and temperament. A 'Problem mit der Leber' (problem with the liver) therefore meant a bad mood or anger.
EXAMPLE
Er redet kein Wort mehr mit uns und spielt die beleidigte Leberwurst.
He isn't saying another word to us and is sulking.