A traditional Camembert-based cheese spread Bavarians served with fresh Brezeln (Pretzel) called Obatzda. This german cheese spread is the perfect sidekick to a lovely Oktoberfest party! Prost!
Obatzda is this creamy orange cheese spread they eat with fresh Brezel (pretzel) in every Bavarian Biergarten. The dip is mainly done with camembert cheese with a touch of butter, “quark” or cottage cheese. The orange colour is due to sweet paprika powder. You can have your Obatzda “Bavarian style” which is with a few extra caraway seeds and a touch of beer in it. I’ve seen so many variations of this spread; from horseradish, garlic, chives, and cloves to Romadur cheese.
My own personal favourite and the one in this recipe is the traditional Obatzda with Quark (fresh cheese) and caraway seeds. If you live in a part of the world where the ingredient ‘Quark’ isn’t a “thing” you can substitute it with cottage cheese.
The Technique
The technique to make it is quite simple, all you’ll need is an arm and a fork… Well, I’ve used the potato masher to make it faster… The idea is to have a nice dense texture, not too smooth. Thick enough to be able to make the traditional presentation ‘ball’ form. No need to mash to perfect homogeneity either, we like pieces of white cheese here and there!
If you need a Brezel recipe here is mine (Brezel/Pretzel). If you are too busy to make them, those small dry pretzels (chips style) would go great with the spread or even croutons. Some recipes call to cut off the crust of the camembert and others don’t. I believe there is a great deal of taste in the crust so I recommend keeping it, although it’s up to you. Knowing some people are a bit turned off by the fungi element from the crust.
Cheeses Variations
The camembert could easily be replaced by a Brie or partially with Romadur cheese. This last one I’ve tasted and loved it but is quite difficult to get your hands on. Romadur already has an orange crust and tastes stronger. So if you want to experiment with it, add just 1/3 Romadur and 2/3 Camembert to prevent overpowering the dip.
The Spices
As mentioned earlier, the typical orange colour of Obadzta is due to paprika powder… I’ve used an equal part of sweet paprika and spicy paprika. This step is totally up to you, but make sure there is enough to colour the spread orange. Also, the traditional Bavarian style Obatzda contains caraway seeds, again… not in everyone’s pantry so it’s up to you.
Toppings
The final touch would be important though… the onions and/or chives. Raw red onions are the ones I saw the most often. This last element might seem strange to some, but it is an integral part of a good Obatzda. Germans love their raw onions! You’ll simply have to cut the onion extremely thin and add a touch of salt to soften them up.
It’s terribly simple to make this spread and it tastes “out of that world” good. I guarantee everyone will ask you for that orange dip recipe at your next party.
Prost!
German cheese spread
Ingredients
- 250 g Camembert ((a small wheel))
- 150 g Quark (or Ricotta cheese)
- 60 g butter (unsalted)
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp spicy or smoky paprika (optional)
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
- salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mash with a fork or potato masher until almost homogeneous.
- Let the flavours set in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
- Cut the onion finely, or chives, add some salt to the onions and serve with the Obatzda.
8 Comments
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Looks soooo delicious! I just want to dig in <3
Of course I give it 5 stars!
So good and great as part of a charcuterie board too!
This dip is so good and so easy to make. I would dip just about anything in this cheesy goodness. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow! I’ve never heard of this dip but I’ve got to try it. It kind of reminds me of pimento cheese, in colour and texture.
I just bought a huge wheel of brie so I absolutely must try this for football this weekend.
One of my favorites from my visits to Munich. Love how easy it is to make and enjoy at home!
Such a fun spin for a charcuterie board or dip platter. Love the texture and the spice, it’s really tasty.
I had something similar at a restaurant a few weeks ago and it was so good, I was wondering how I would recreate it. I tried this and it was fantastic!