Belonging to a certain national cuisine appetizer makes it more interesting, exotic and original; among others, the Bavarian beer snacks recipes deserve special attention.
These are treated as classic options: Griebenschmalz (ghee with fried onions and cracklings), Wurstsalat (sausage salad), Kartoffelsalat (boiled potatoes with broth and various additives), Weisswurst (white sausages), etc. One of the most famous Bavarian dishes served with beer is Obatzda, a special snack based on overripe Camembert. Today we will dwell on it in more detail.
It is interesting because it takes not the last place at the famous Oktoberfest, where, in addition to delicious beer, a variety of snacks are served. In Bavaria, this dish is called differently, it can be found under the names Obazda, Obatzda, Obatzter, O’batzter, Gerupfter.
A little history of the Bavarian cheese snack
It is believed that, like most delicious dishes and snacks, this masterpiece was created under the slogan “I blinded it from what was,” that is, from the leftovers of products whose shelf life is steadily coming to an end. In this case, this very product was soft cheese, traditionally Camembert, to which butter, sweet paprika (in the form of seasoning), pepper, caraway seeds, onions and other ingredients were added to improve the taste of the product.
As for the release of the dish, then it is worth mentioning the beer gardens of Bavaria. It is in one of them, or rather in Weihenstephan – the oldest brewery in the world (founded in 1040). The beer hall of this brewery was managed by Katharina Eisernreich in the 1930s. It was she who was first served Obatsda – a delicious beer snack.
Obatsda’s recipe
- Camembert – 200 gr.
- Butter – 50-100 gr.
- Onion – 0,5-1 pcs.
- Sweet paprika powder – 0,5-2 teaspoons
- Salt – 1 pinch
- Cumin – 0,5 teaspoon
- additional ingredients – light beer (1-2 tablespoons), white pepper (1 pinch), green onions and others.
! Important. Camembert should be chosen soft, overripe. When buying cheese in a store, it is advisable to choose one whose expiration date is coming to an end (but let there be some margin of time). Before starting cooking, it is advised to keep it at room temperature for several hours.
Preparation:
- If the crust on the Camembert is tough, then you can cut it off beforehand, but small pieces of the shell only add spice to the dish. Next, the cheese should be kneaded with a fork, hands, or use a blender. The mass must be sufficiently homogeneous.
- Pre-bring the oil to a soft state (hold at room temperature).
- Finely chop the onion, mix with butter, mashed camembert, add salt and seasonings (as well as beer and other ingredients to taste).
- Stir the resulting mass until smooth, put on a plate.
- You can serve a cheese appetizer with lettuce, pretzels, rye bread, radish, radish and, of course, beer!
It is advisable to cook Obazda with the expectation of one meal, since the next day the appetizer may taste a little bitter because of the onions added to it. If it is prepared in advance, then the onion can not be added inside, but served separately, thinly sliced into rings.