Obatzda Für Den Biergarten German Cheese Spread

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 11/26/21
german obatzda cheese spread with pretzel

Electrography / Getty Images

 
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Chill Time: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
135 Calories
13g Fat
2g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 135
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 245mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 62mg 5%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 71mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This Bavarian/German cheese spread recipe, known as Obatzda (also known as Grupfter in Frankonia), is not for the faint-hearted. It is made with a blend of stinky, white aged soft cheeses, sweet or hot paprika, and a good bit of onion thrown into the mix.

Some recipes also call for garlic, horseradish, cloves, and cream cheese. A Hungarian/Slovakian version is made with Liptauer cheese and is known as Korozott Juhturo.

Obatzda is a classic German beer garden food found on a Brotzeit, a snack platter with hearty bread, sausage, pickles, and radishes. Other classic German bread spread recipes include cheese-based spreads like Obatzda and herbed quark cream, vegetarian and dairy-free spreads like a tomato spread, sweet spreads like strawberry cream cheese, and meat and fish spreads like chicken liver pâté.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces ripe Romadur 60% (Belgian soft cheese), or Brie cheese

  • 4 ounces ripe Camembert (French soft cheese)

  • 4 ounces butter, softened

  • 1/2 cup finely minced onion

  • 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika

  • 1 teaspoon hot or spicy Hungarian paprika, or to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Fresh heavy cream, to achieve desired consistency

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a medium bowl, mash together Romadur or Brie cheese, Camembert cheese, and softened butter until well combined.

  3. Add minced onion, sweet Hungarian paprika, spicy Hungarian paprika, ground caraway, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined.

  4. Add heavy cream to desired spreading consistency. The Obatzda spread should be the color of bricks.

  5. Refrigerate for a few hours to let tastes meld together.

  6. If you like a smooth spread, combine cheeses, butter, and spices in a food processor until smooth. Add the minced onion last, by hand.

  7. Serve with more thinly sliced onions, pretzels, bread, and beer.