Obatzda
A beer garden snack from Bavaria — according to the popular story, invented to use up overripe cheese. Ripe camembert mashed with a fork with butter, sweet paprika, caraway, onion and a spoonful of beer. The name means “mashed” in Bavarian dialect, which is exactly how it is made — the spread should be chunky, not smooth. Served with a pretzel, rye bread and radishes, it is a classic companion to beer. The riper the cheese, the fuller the flavour.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Warming the cheese 30 min
- Chopping 10 min
- Mashing 10 min
- Chilling 60 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneWarm the cheese and butter
Take the camembert, butter and cream cheese out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead. Cold butter will not blend with the cheese and leaves hard lumps.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Cut the cheese
Dice the camembert rind and all — the rind is part of the flavour and disappears once mashed. If it is very thick and dry, you can trim some of it off.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Rind and all — it is flavour too.Chop the onion
Chop the onion very finely. It should add crunch and bite to the spread, not big chunks.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Mash the cheese with butter
In a bowl mash the camembert with a fork together with the butter and cream cheese. The spread should be creamy but with lumps of cheese — do not use a blender, it would make a smooth cream.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
With a fork, chunky — the Bavarian way.Season with paprika and caraway
Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sweet paprika, the caraway, pepper and a pinch of salt. The paprika turns the spread orange.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Add beer and onion
Stir in the beer a spoonful at a time until the spread is soft and easy to spread, then add the onion.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Beer spoon by spoon — until spreadable.Chill
Cover and refrigerate an hour so the flavours meld. Take it out 15 minutes before serving so it softens.
Ingredients: 250 g ripe camembert · 50 g butter, softened · 50 g cream cheese · ½ pcs small onion · 1½ tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp ground caraway · 3 tbsp wheat beer or lager · 1 pinch salt · ¼ tsp black pepper
Serve with pretzels
Shape the spread into a mound, dust with the remaining paprika and scatter with chopped chives. Serve with pretzels, rye bread and sliced radishes.
Ingredients: ½ bunch chives · 6 pcs radishes
Before you start
Which cheese
The best is camembert a few days before its best-before date, well ripened and soft in the middle. In Bavaria it is sometimes mixed with brie or a little Romadur for a sharper flavour.
Without beer
If you prefer no beer, use a spoonful of milk or cream. The spread loses its malty note but is still tasty.
Storage
Obatzda keeps 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. After a day or two raw onion starts to dominate, so if you make the spread ahead, add it just before serving.