It will suffice to say that there is no better way to spend an evening in Prague than to be guided by a native through the city’s warren of ancient alleyways and archaic streets, past numerous watering holes, places where the malodorous Czech beer cheese can, at least in high summer, be smelled a block away: small, wood-paneled, smoke-stained places serving draft beers like Staropramen, Velkopopovický Kozel and Krušovice (little-known in America, but an excellent pilsner from the hop-growing area north of Prague).
It’s axiomatic: the Czechs know their beer. They also know their beer cheese. Traditionally those afflicted with hunger and thirst just sniffed their way from pub to pub, because the best beer cheese in Prague or České Budějovice advertised itself on the prevailing breeze.
The term ‘Beer Cheese’ is literally translated from the original German word for the Weisslacker cheese, ‘bierkäse’. Weisslacker is a stinky mild cheese which got its name from Germans who would dip a hunk of it into a glass of cold beer. In Bohemia, Professor Laxa, an eminent cheese expert, first mentions a beer cheese recipe similar to today’s pivní sýr in his 1924 cheese book.
Prague Morning elaborates.
The Czech Beer Cheese (or Pivní Sýr)
The beer cheese you get at Czech restaurants is served sliced, sitting on a large plate surrounded with little piles of butter, onions, sardines, mustard, paprika, and black pepper along with a shot of black beer. Before eating, mash them all up with a fork, together with a splash of beer from your glass, and then spread the mixture on rye bread.
If you have the time, the German state (and state of mind) known as Bavaria borders the Czech Republic directly to the west. There, amid a different but delicious array of beers, not a single one of which is Michelob Ultra, Obatzda is a complementary take on the critical equation “cheese spread to go with a nice chestnut-hued Dunkel lager.”
Obatzda is the Biergarten Snack You’ll Crave, by Naomi Kaye Honova (All About Beer)
One of the most popular accompaniments to beer in Bavaria, Obatzda is comprised of a soft cheese blended with butter, that is mixed with spices and herbs like paprika, caraway seeds and garlic, typically with some garnish on top such as fresh scallions or chives. While some home cooks or eateries prepare Obatzda with a bit of Weißbier in the spread itself, it’s common to have it without any alcohol added, especially at restaurants that cater to multi-generational families.
Camembert is the most commonly used cheese for making Obatzda. It’s certainly possible to use Brie, Romadur and Limburger cheeses as well, however, and some Obatzda lovers even swear by other specific options when it comes to flavor.
The author includes an authentic recipe for Obatzda from the Allgäu region of Bavaria. Click through to All About Beer to get it.
“Edibles & Potables” is Food & Dining Magazine’s Sunday slot for news and views that range beyond our customary metropolitan Louisville coverage area, as intended to be food (and drink) for thought.
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