Bavarian Obatzda Recipe

 

One of the best Bavarian snacks to go along with massive amounts of beer is a pretzel, and the best thing to eat with that pretzel is Obatzda. If you read my post about food to eat in Bavaria then you already know that Obatzda makes it onto the list of the best traditional Bavarian recipes and Biergarten snacks.

Obatzda is a Bavarian cheese spread, usually made with a mix of camembert or brie and butter. It’s rich and creamy and delicious, and it can be eaten with a pretzel, of course, but it also goes well with hearty rye bread.
 

 

 

We use brie for this recipe because it’s a bit easier to find than camembert in our area. I always use cream cheese as an addition because we like to eat loads of Obatzda, and the less expensive cream cheese helps bulk it up without breaking the budget. When choosing your butter, look for a ‘European style’ butter because it typically has a higher fat content.

 

*Special Equipment:

Food processor

Mortar and pestle or a spice grinder

Cheese slicer – not necessary, but certainly handy.

 

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Ingredients

60 g onion (about ¼ of a medium onion)

4 g garlic (about 2 cloves)

450 g (16 oz) of Brie (rind removed)

170 g (6 oz) of butter softened to room temperature

170 g (6 oz) cream cheese

½ tsp caraway seed plus extra for garnish (crushed in mortar and pestle or through a spice grinder)

½ tsp to 1 tsp sweet paprika plus extra for garnish

German beer – You’ll only need a couple of tablespoons, the rest you drink.

Salt and Pepper to taste – If you use salted butter, you’ll need less salt, so be sure to taste as you add.

 

Instructions:

Cut onion into large pieces, add to your food processor, and pulse several times for a fine dice. Remove from the food processor and set aside.

Remove rind from the brie. I found a cheese slicer works beautifully for this, but you can also use a knife.

*Depending on the size of your food processor, you might have to do this next step in batches.

Cut brie, butter, and cream cheese into pieces and add to the food processor.
Add chopped garlic to the processor.
Pulse the processor until combined, adding beer a tablespoon at a time until the mixture becomes smooth.

Add caraway, paprika, salt, and pepper, and pulse until combined.

Add onion and only pulse a couple of times until combined. (You don’t want to pulverize the onion.)

Remove mixture from the food processor into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. It’s best to refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Add a dusting of paprika and a sprinkle of caraway to garnish at service.

Serve with rye bread or pretzels, some sliced radish or pickles, and beer.

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As with most of the recipes I post, use this as a guideline. Some onions are stronger than others, so add them back into the cheese mixture a little at a time until you have the flavor you want. Or, add more if you prefer.
Also, some brie is more pungent and, if you want to tone it down, then add more butter.
 

Are you like us and realize that you need to double the recipe next time?
 

 

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