Germany · Appetizers and Sandwiches · Vegetarian
Obatzda
A traditional Bavarian cheese dip made with soft ripened Camembert or Brie, butter and spices. Perfect with pretzels and beer. The key is very soft cheese and room-temperature butter for a velvety, creamy consistency.
75 min 310 kcal 5 serves Advanced🌿Vegetarian🇩🇪Germany★★★★★4.6· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 200 gsoft cheese
- 100 gbutter
- 50 gcream cheese
- ½ red onion
- 2 tbsplight beer
- 1 garlic cloves
- 1 tbspsweet paprika
- ½ tspground caraway
- 1 bunchfresh chives
- to tastesalt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Take the Brie (or Camembert) and butter out of the refrigerator at least an hour ahead — they must be genuinely soft, almost spreadable. Cold cheese won't blend smoothly and you'll end up with lumps no amount of mashing will fix.
- Trim the white rind from the cheese if you prefer a milder flavor (leaving it on adds a slightly earthy note). Cut the cheese into small pieces. Dice the red onion as finely as you can — you want it to disappear into the spread. Press or mince the garlic.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cheese pieces, soft butter, and cream cheese. Mash thoroughly with a fork, pressing against the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is as smooth and creamy as possible. A few small cheese bits are fine — they add character.
- Add the diced onion, pressed garlic, sweet paprika, ground caraway, salt, and pepper. Pour in the beer (or cream for a non-alcoholic version) and stir vigorously until everything is combined into a thick, spreadable cream with a warm orange hue from the paprika.
- Finely chop the chives, fold most of them into the mixture, and reserve a small handful for garnish. Cover the bowl with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — this lets the flavors marry. Serve garnished with the reserved chives and a dusting of paprika, alongside pretzels or dark bread.
FAQ
Graininess appears when the cheese is too cold or the butter is not at room temperature. Both components must be soft: take the Camembert and butter out of the refrigerator 1–2 hours in advance. Mash with a fork, then beat with a hand mixer or stir vigorously with a spoon. If the texture is still uneven, add 1–2 tbsp of beer or cream and keep mixing. A blender makes it too smooth — a fork and spoon give the ideal rustic consistency.
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Comments (2)
Mit echtem bayerischem Camembert gemacht, hat sich gelohnt! Der Tipp mit dem Paprika für die Farbe ist wichtig, sonst sieht es blass aus. Dazu Brezn und kaltes Weißbier - bayrischer Abend perfekt.
Presentation is half the battle with obatzda. I serve it on a wooden board rather than a plate — it's more inviting and signals to people that they should reach in and help themselves.