A sunny beer garden, a glass of cold beer and a Bavarian “Brotzeit” platter filled with rye bread, pretzels, cold cuts of meats and a bowl of Obatzda. These are the images you might conjure up when thinking of Obatzda, the famous German cheese spread.
Obatzda (also spelt Obazda ) is a Bavarian classic that is a staple dish in German beer gardens. It is best enjoyed outside, with a slice of rye bread or a pretzel accompanied by a nice cold beer. By the way, Obatzda is not unique to Bavaria. In Hessia it is called “Hessescher”, in Switzerland, it is known as Gmanschter and in Austria, it is enjoyed as Lipauer.
What we will cover in this post:
What is Obatzda in English?
Obatzda in English would be translated as “dressed up” or “mixed”. This refers to the way the dish is created, as it dresses up old cheese. Obazda is pronounced OB-AS-DA with the “S” pronounced sharp.
History of Obatzda
This delicacy was born out of necessity. The need to use up leftover cheeses, called for spices and
butter to make these interesting and tasty again. When the Brie or Camembert started to smell, it
was softened by some butter and spiced with caraway seeds and paprika. Therefore, you can find so many variations of this recipe. It is unclear who first created this Bavarian cheese spread, but it was first found on restaurant menus in the 1920s. The first restaurant to offer the Obatzda cheese was the famous Beergarden Weihenstephan in Freising. [source mariasplatzl.de]
Obatzda Recipe
You will find many different versions of this recipe. This Obatzda recipe is made without beer, as we prefer to drink the beer with the spread.
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion (around 150 g (5.2 oz)
- 200 g (7 oz) Camembert
- 100 (3.5 oz) g full fat crème cheese
- 50 g (1.7) soft butter
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground caraway seeds
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Some chives to serve (optional)
How to make Obatzda cheese spread
In order to ripen the cheese faster, remove the camembert from the fridge for at least 3
hours. Cut off the rind and leave to rest at room temperature. You will see that it becomes
very soft.
- Place the camembert, cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Using a fork, mix everything until
you achieve creamy mixture. (Some also use their hands to knead the mixture) - Season with salt, pepper, paprika and cumin (optional) to taste.
- Mix in the onions optional. Another opion is to serve the onions on top of the obatzda. This is the better option if you plan to serve the obazda later, because the onions make the cheese too moist. Also if then is up to personal preference if you have the dish with or without onions, as some might find the taste too strong.
- If you find that your camembert is not ripe enough, you can add a little milk or beer to make it creamier.
- Before serving, sprinkle with some chopped chives. Enjoy it with a slice of rye bread or
pretzel.
Which cheese to use?
The traditional choice of cheese is a ripened camembert. However, if you fancy, you can use brie or another French soft cheese for your dip. If you do not want to use cow cheese, you can use
Rocamadour, a cheese from goats milk. Another popular choice of cheese is
Limburger.
Storage Instructions
I am pretty sure this dip will be gone in no time. However, in the unlikely event that you have leftovers do not fret. Obama keeps in the fridge for up to three days. The cold temperature might harden the dip, so leave it to rest at room temperature to soften before serving.
Can you freeze Obazda?
I would not recommend freezing the cheese spread, as it will change the texture when defrosted.
More German Brotzeit (Bread) dishes
- German Rye Bread with Yeast
- German Egg Salad
- Caramelised Onion Chutney
- German Pasta Salad
- German Potato Salad
Obatzda - German Cheese Spread
Ingredients
- 1 onion around 150 g (5.2 oz)
- 200 g Camembert 7 oz - alternatively use Brie, Rocamadour, Limburger or another soft cheese of your choice
- 100 g full fat creme cheese 3.5 oz
- 50 g butter 1.7 oz, soft
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground caraway seeds optional
- salt
- black pepper
- some chives to serve
Instructions
- In order to ripen the cheese faster, remove the camembert from the fridge for at least 3 hours. Cut off the rind and leave to rest at room temperature. You will see that it becomes very soft.
- Place the camembert, cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Using a fork, mix everything until you achieve creamy mixture. (Some also use their hands to knead the mixture)
- Season with salt, pepper paprika and caraway seeds(optional) to taste.
- Mix in the onions optional. Another option is to serve the onions on top of the obatzda. This is the better option if you plan to serve the dip later because the onions make the cheese too moist. Also, then it is up to personal preference if you have the dish with or without onions, as some might find the taste too strong.
- Before serving, sprinkle with some chopped chives. Enjoy it with a slice of rye bread or pretzel.
I made this over the weekend to take to a friend’s Oktoberfest party! It was a huge hit! Ran out of the little pretzel bites I brought, but the host had a ton of huge pretzels to add to the platter. Thanks for the suggestion!
HI Linda,
thank you for your comment and thanks for the picture you tagged me on on Instagram. I am glad the party guest enjoyed the recipe. Best WIshes
Marita
Oh my God this dip with the pretzel is so mouthwatering.
sounds like an afternoon delightful snack to me or appetizer bonus its perfect with a cold beer! thanks for sharing awesome German dishes
You are welcome
I can’t wait to try this! It sounds heavenly with a huge pretzel and cold beer. I will need to find some camembert!
Thanks I hope you like it