Obatzda – A Delicious Bavarian Cheese Spread
- Level
- Easy
- Rating
- Rate this recipe
In this post I show you how you can make Obatzda at home. It is a Bavarian classic that should not be missing at any Frühschoppen.
For serving ideas, see my German cold dinner ideas and Bavarian Brotzeit guide. Other spreads to try include Erdäpfelkas, feta spread, lentil spread and mushroom and walnut pâté.
Depending on the region, the spelling varies (e.g. “Obatzter” or “Obazda”). I originally come from Franconia, where it is also called “Angemachter” or “Gerupfter”.
The Obazda recipe is from my mom, goes super easy (30min max) and tastes heavenly. I can promise you, there will be nothing left at the end.
At the end I also summarized the history of the “Obazder” for you.
But now enough chatter. Here you can find the complete Obatzda recipe via either as video or in written format.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Table of Contents
Obatzda – What do you need to make it?
Ingredients per 600 g
| Ingredient | Grams | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Camembert | 200 g | |
| Butter | 125 g | |
| Limburger | 100 g | |
| Processed cheese (Spread e.g. Velveeta) | 100 g | |
| onion | 75 g | |
| Sweet paprika, salt, pepper (to taste) | — |
IMPORTANT: The riper the Camembert and Limburger, the better the flavor will be. Therefore, it is best to leave them in a bag at room temperature for 2-3 days before processing.
The equipment to make Obatzda
Hand mixer
The hand mixer with dough hook makes the preparation easier. Of course, you can also use a fork. Or alternatively a food processor.
Make Obatzda – Step-By-Step Instructions
Cut the onions into small cubes.
Then cut the Camembert, Limburger and butter into cubes.
Put the ingredients together with the processed cheese into a bowl.
Crush the mixture with a fork or use a hand mixer with a dough hook, it’s easier.
Your delicious Obatzda is ready. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
What is Obatzda?
What is Obatzda?
Obatzda is a cold cheese spread rather than a cooked dish. Ripe soft cheese, butter and onion go into a bowl with paprika and are crushed into one smooth mass, and that is the entire method: no heat touches this recipe at any point, and it needs a bowl and a fork rather than a kitchen. What you get is somewhere between a spread and a dip, savoury and rich, with the paprika doing the colouring as much as the seasoning.
The name is that crushing rather than the ingredients. “Obatzt” is Bavarian for mixed or mashed together, so an Obatzda is, word for word, the mashed one, and the step where you take a fork or a hand mixer to everything in the bowl is the step the dish is named after. It also explains why nobody agrees on the spelling: the word came out of spoken dialect long before it was written down, and every region wrote down what it heard.
What is the shelf life of Obatzda?
What is the shelf life of Obatzda?
Because of the fresh onions in the Obatzda, you should consume it within 4 to 5 days.
But I can promise you that it will not survive that long, because it is super delicious!
Tips & Tricks
- Do you like a smoky flavor? Then use a smoked paprika powder instead of sweet paprika powder. It’s not the original, but it tastes great!
- By using different types of Camembert, you can create variations for your Obatzter. This way you can decide whether you want it to be milder or stronger.
- I recommend a tasty bread or pretzel and a wheat beer to accompany your Obazda.
Three more Obazda recipe variations
The beery Obatzda
- 250 g Brie
- 20 g butter
- 50 g cream cheese
- 120g onions
- 25ml wheat beer or lager
- salt, pepper, paprika to taste
The fruity Obatzda
- 250 g cream cheese
- 250 g Camembert
- 3-4 tablespoons cream
- 1/2 pear
- 5 spring onions
- salt and pepper to taste
The “legere” Obazda
- 200g camembert
- 60g cream cheese
- 150ml sour cream
- 80g butter
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds
- paprika, salt, pepper to taste
The history of the Obatzda
The origin of Obazda can be traced back to the establishment of the Bavarian beer garden culture around 1840. In Bavaria at that time (especially in the Allgäu) soft cheeses such as Camembert, Brie and Limburger were produced.
Now a problem arises, especially in summer.
Due to modest cooling possibilities, the cheese ripens particularly quickly and thus sometimes becomes overripe.
Since however many landlords could not afford the loss of these goods they tried to mix them all together. They mixed the overripe soft cheese with butter, salt, paprika powder, onions, caraway seeds and beer.
Schwuppsdiewupps not only the problem with the shelf life was solved, but also this new spread was invented.
Since then, Obazda has been served as a spread on bread or on a pretzel in most beer gardens.
Katharina Eisenreich (1920 to 1958 landlady of the Bräustüberl in Weihenstephan) then made sure that the Obazda became known beyond the borders of Bavaria.
She brought Obadza to any social events: To the Frühschoppen, Schafkopfen and at summer festivals. Since Weihenstephan is the destination of many tourists due to the oldest brewery, the name Obatzter came to the whole world.
An original Obatzda must consist of at least 40% Camembert and/or Brie and the proportion of cheese in total must be at least 50%.
Where the cheese and butter must come from is not specified. However, it must be prepared in Bavaria because it has been registered in the EU Commission’s list of protected geographical indications since 2015.
