There are certain things that were simply always there in our kitchen growing up — always in the refrigerator, always ready, never needing an occasion. Griebenschmalz was one of them. And Mett was another.
My mother made her German Mett recipe — what she also called Hackepeter — regularly and kept it in a bowl in the refrigerator at all times. It was there for breakfast on dark rye bread, there for Abendbrot in the evening, there whenever someone was hungry and needed something simple and satisfying. She made it with lean ground beef rather than the traditional pork, seasoned with finely chopped onion, a raw egg, salt and pepper, and nothing else because nothing else was needed. The onion was always generous in our house — we loved onion — and the seasoning was adjusted by taste, which meant everyone at the table could add more pepper or salt to their own slice if they wanted it.
I never thought anything was unusual about Mett as a child. It was simply what we ate. My American friends thought differently, at least until they tried it — and after that they always wanted more. That is the pattern with almost everything that came out of my mother’s German kitchen. Skepticism first, conversion immediately after.
This is her recipe, made the way she made it, with the food safety practices that raw meat requires and the cultural context that makes it more than just a spread.
This recipe is part of our collection of traditional German recipes, preserving the dishes that have been part of German home kitchens for generations.
This dish is also featured in our collection of Lost German Recipes collection — the humble dishes shaped by necessity, thrift, and survival that crossed the ocean with German immigrant families and found their way to American kitchen tables.
What Is German Mett — Hackepeter?
A German Mett recipe — also called Hackepeter in many parts of Germany — is a traditional raw ground meat preparation seasoned simply with onion, egg, salt and pepper and served cold as a spread on bread. It is one of the oldest and most distinctly German food traditions, eaten at breakfast and at Abendbrot — the traditional German light evening meal of bread, cold cuts, cheese and spreads that has been part of German daily life for generations.
Mett is made from raw meat — traditionally pork, though my mother always made hers with lean ground beef — and it is served cold, straight from the refrigerator, never cooked. The name Hackepeter comes from the German word hacken meaning to chop or mince, and it is used interchangeably with Mett in many regions of Germany. In the Rhineland and parts of northern Germany it is most commonly called Hackepeter. In Bavaria and the south it is more often simply Mett.
What makes a German Mett recipe different from other raw meat preparations is its simplicity. There are no complex seasonings, no elaborate techniques, no long preparation time. The quality of the meat is everything — fresh, lean, handled cold throughout — and the seasoning is intentionally minimal so the clean flavor of the beef comes through.
Authentic German Mett Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place your mixing bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before you begin. Keep the ground beef refrigerated until the moment you are ready to mix. Cold ingredients and a cold bowl are not optional with raw meat — they are essential.
- Finely chop the onion — as fine as you can get it. The onion should almost melt into the meat rather than creating large pieces. My mother used between half and a full medium yellow onion depending on her mood. We loved onion and usually used the full one.
- Place the cold ground beef in the chilled mixing bowl. Add the finely chopped onion, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix everything together at once with clean hands or a large spoon until fully combined. Work quickly and keep the mixture as cold as possible throughout.
- Taste a very small amount and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. My mother would season it and then leave it slightly under-seasoned at the table so everyone could add more to their own slice if they wanted it. That approach still makes sense.
- Transfer the Mett to a serving bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to come together and ensures the mixture is thoroughly cold before it goes to the table.
- Bring the bowl directly from the refrigerator to the table. Serve immediately on thin slices of dark German rye bread. Return any unused Mett to the refrigerator immediately after serving.
Nutrition
Notes
Food safety — please read before making this recipe
Mett is a raw meat preparation and food safety is not optional — it is the most important part of this recipe. Follow these rules without exception:- Use the freshest ground beef available — same day from a trusted butcher is ideal. Ask your butcher to grind it fresh if possible.
- Keep the meat cold at every stage. Do not allow it to sit at room temperature at any point during preparation or serving.
- Keep serving time short. Do not leave Mett sitting out at the table for extended periods. Bring it out cold and return it to the refrigerator promptly.
- Do not serve to pregnant women, young children, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.
- Do not make more than you will use within 24 hours. Mett should be made fresh and consumed the same day or the following day at the absolute latest.
- If in doubt about the freshness of your meat, do not use it.
About the onion
The amount of onion is genuinely a matter of personal preference. Half a cup is a starting point for those who prefer a milder flavor. A full cup — a full medium onion — is what my mother used and what we grew up eating. If you love onion, use the full one.About the eggs
One egg per pound of meat is the ratio. The egg binds the mixture and gives it a slightly richer, more cohesive texture that holds together on bread. Do not skip it. Note: Dark German rye bread adds approximately 80-100 calories per slice and 15-17g of carbohydrates per serving.How to Serve German Mett
Mett is always served cold, straight from the refrigerator, on thin slices of dark German rye bread. That is the traditional way and the right way — the cold temperature is part of the experience and also essential for food safety.
In our house Mett appeared at two meals consistently. The first was breakfast, where it sat alongside other cold things on the table — bread, butter, perhaps some cheese — and everyone helped themselves. The second was Abendbrot.
Abendbrot — which translates literally as evening bread — is one of the most distinctly German meal traditions and one that most Americans have never encountered. It is the light evening meal that German families have eaten for generations: a spread of bread, cold cuts, cheese, spreads, and pickles set out on the table without cooking, without fuss, and without the formality of a sit-down dinner. In a traditional German household the hot meal of the day is at midday, not in the evening. Abendbrot is simple by design and deeply satisfying by tradition. Mett belongs to Abendbrot the way butter belongs to bread. It is simply part of what goes on the table.
For presentation, bring the Mett to the table in a bowl with a small spreading knife alongside it. Thin dark rye bread is traditional — the dense, slightly sour character of German rye is the perfect partner for the richness of the Mett. A few slices of raw onion on the side for those who want extra is completely traditional and very German.
Tips for Success
Buy the best meat you can find. This is not a recipe where quality can be compensated for by technique. The meat is the recipe. Find a butcher you trust, ask for freshly ground lean beef, and use it the same day if at all possible.
Keep everything cold. Chill your bowl before mixing. Keep the meat in the refrigerator until the moment you need it. Work quickly. Return everything to the refrigerator immediately. Cold is not just about food safety — it also gives the Mett a better texture and cleaner flavor.
Chop the onion as finely as possible. Large pieces of onion in Mett are jarring texturally. The onion should be almost invisible in the meat — present in flavor but not in texture. Take your time with the knife.
Season with restraint at first. You can always add more salt and pepper but you cannot take it away. Season, taste a very small amount, adjust, and remember that you can put more on the table for people to add to their own servings.
Use dark German rye bread. This is not a suggestion. The flavor of the Mett and the flavor of dark rye are designed for each other. A soft white bread does not provide the right contrast and will make the Mett taste heavier than it is.
Make Ahead, Storage and Shelf Life
Mett should be made as close to serving time as possible. It is not a make-ahead recipe in the traditional sense — the freshness of the meat is the whole point.
That said, Mett can be made a few hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator until serving time. My mother often made it in the morning for the evening Abendbrot, which is perfectly fine as long as the meat was fresh when you started and it stays cold throughout.
Do not keep Mett for more than 24 hours. Unlike cooked dishes that improve with time, raw meat preparations do not benefit from sitting and the food safety risk increases. Make what you will use and discard anything remaining after 24 hours.
Mett cannot be frozen. The texture of the raw meat changes significantly when frozen and thawed and the result is not the same preparation. Make it fresh every time.
Variations
The basic German Mett recipe is intentionally simple and most traditional cooks would not change it significantly. That said, a few regional and family variations exist:
Pork Mett — the most traditional version uses finely ground pork rather than beef. My mother preferred lean ground beef, which produces a slightly cleaner flavor and a firmer texture. Both are completely authentic — the choice depends on personal preference and regional tradition.
Marjoram — some German families add a pinch of dried marjoram to their Mett, which is particularly common in certain regions. It adds a subtle herbal note without overpowering the meat.
Caraway seeds — a very small amount of ground caraway is another regional addition, giving the Mett a slightly more complex flavor profile.
More onion — as my mother demonstrated, the onion quantity is flexible. Some families use very little, some use a great deal. In our house we used a full medium onion for two pounds of meat and considered that completely normal.
Mettbrötchen — in Germany Mett is also commonly served on a Brötchen — a small round bread roll — rather than sliced rye bread. This is particularly common as a quick breakfast or snack. The roll is split, the Mett is spread generously, raw onion rings are laid on top, and it is eaten immediately.
Food Safety
Raw meat preparations have been part of German food culture for centuries, and Mett has been eaten safely by generations of German families. The key to eating it safely is understanding that freshness and temperature are everything.
The risk with any raw meat preparation comes from bacterial contamination — primarily E. coli and Salmonella — which multiply rapidly when meat is allowed to warm up or when meat that was not fresh to begin with is used. The USDA’s guidance on ground beef and food safety provides the authoritative reference on safe handling, storage temperatures, and the specific risks associated with raw ground beef — worth reading before you make this recipe for the first time. These risks are entirely manageable with proper handling.
The rules are simple:
Buy fresh, ideally same day. Keep it cold from purchase to table. Serve cold and promptly. Return leftovers to the refrigerator immediately. Consume within 24 hours. Do not serve to vulnerable populations.
In Germany, Mett is regulated and sold under strict freshness standards at butcher shops and supermarkets. In the United States, where those standards are not specifically applied to retail ground beef the way they are in Germany, buying from a trusted butcher who will grind the meat fresh for you on the day you intend to use it is the closest equivalent.
My mother understood these rules instinctively because she grew up with this food. She never left Mett sitting out, never made more than would be used, and always started with the freshest meat she could find. Those habits were not food safety protocols to her — they were simply how you handled Mett. They are worth following exactly.
Historical Notes
Mett — also called Hackepeter — has been part of German food culture for centuries. Raw ground meat preparations appear in German culinary records going back to the Middle Ages, when fresh meat was consumed immediately after slaughter because there was no reliable way to preserve it. The tradition of seasoning and eating raw ground meat developed naturally in that context and became embedded in German food culture long before refrigeration made it possible to store meat safely over time.
The name Hackepeter has an interesting regional history. It is most strongly associated with northern Germany and the Rhineland, and various folk etymologies exist for its origin — some linking it to a person named Peter who was known for his minced meat, others simply to the act of chopping. Whatever its precise origin, the name has been in use for generations and remains the preferred term in many parts of Germany today.
During the war and postwar years, Mett took on additional significance as a practical and filling food during times of scarcity. Fresh ground meat required no cooking fuel, no preparation time, and no equipment beyond a knife and a bowl. My mother grew up eating it during those years and brought the habit with her to America, where it became as much a part of our daily kitchen as it had been in hers. The simplicity that made it practical during hard times is the same simplicity that makes it satisfying today.
In Germany Mett remains a staple of butcher shop counters and Abendbrot tables. It is eaten daily by millions of people and regarded as one of the most natural and unremarkable things you might put on a piece of bread. Outside of Germany it tends to provoke the same reaction my American friends always had — disbelief followed by immediate conversion.
For the most authentic and safest Mett experience, starting with freshly ground meat makes all the difference — and having the right bread on the table completes the tradition:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is German Mett?
German Mett — also called Hackepeter — is a traditional raw ground meat preparation seasoned with finely chopped onion, egg, salt and pepper and served cold on dark rye bread. It is one of the oldest German food traditions and remains a staple of German breakfast and Abendbrot tables today.
Is it safe to eat raw ground beef in Mett?
Yes, when handled correctly. The key requirements are using the freshest possible meat — ideally ground the same day by a trusted butcher — keeping it cold throughout preparation and serving, consuming it within 24 hours, and not serving it to pregnant women, young children, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system. Germans have been eating Mett safely for centuries by following these basic principles.
What is the difference between Mett and Hackepeter?
Mett and Hackepeter refer to the same preparation. Hackepeter is the more common term in northern Germany and the Rhineland while Mett is used more broadly across Germany. Both describe raw seasoned ground meat served as a spread on bread.
Can I make German Mett with pork instead of beef?
Yes — traditional German Mett is most commonly made with pork. My mother made hers with lean ground beef, which is a common variation that produces a slightly cleaner, firmer result. Both pork and beef versions are authentic depending on regional tradition and personal preference.
What bread do you serve with Mett?
Dark German rye bread is the traditional accompaniment — dense, slightly sour, and the perfect textural and flavor contrast for the richness of the Mett. A Brötchen — a small German bread roll — is also traditional, particularly for a quick breakfast or snack.
What is Abendbrot?
Abendbrot is the traditional German light evening meal consisting of bread, cold cuts, cheese, spreads and pickles served without cooking. It translates literally as evening bread and has been part of German daily life for generations. Mett is one of the classic Abendbrot staples.
How long does Mett keep?
Mett should be consumed within 24 hours of making it. It cannot be frozen. Make only what you will use and keep it refrigerated at all times.
Can I make Mett ahead of time?
You can make it a few hours ahead and keep it refrigerated until serving. My mother often made it in the morning for the evening Abendbrot. Do not make it more than a day in advance.
