''Handkäse'' (; literally: "hand cheese") is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

regional

sour milk cheese Acid-set or sour milk cheese is cheese that has been curdled (coagulated) by natural souring, often from lactic acid bacteria, or by the addition of acid. This type of cheese is technologically simple to produce. When making soft acid-set cheese ...

(similar to

Harzer Harzer cheese is a German sour milk cheese made from low fat curd cheese, which originates in the Harz mountain region south of Braunschweig. Harzer is often small and round, in which case it is called ''Handkäse'' or '' Taler'', or cylindrica ...

) and is a culinary speciality of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

, Langen, and other parts of southern

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

. It gets its name from the traditional way of producing it: forming it with one's own hands. It is a small, translucent, yellow cheese with a pungent aroma that some people may find unpleasant. It is sometimes square, but more often round in shape. Often served as an

appetizer An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...

or as a snack with ''

Apfelwein ''Apfelwein'' ( German, 'apple wine'), or ''Viez'' ( Moselfranken, Saarland, Trier, ''vice'') or ''Most'' ( Austria, Switzerland, South Germany, ''must'') are German words for cider. It is made from a mix of sour tasting apples, such as "Bohna ...

'' (''Ebbelwoi'' or cider), it is traditionally topped with chopped or sliced onions,germanfoodguide
/ref> locally known as "Handkäse mit Musik" (literally: hand cheese with music). It is usually eaten with

caraway Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

on it, but since many people in Germany do not like this spice, in many areas it is served on the side. Some Hessians say that it is a sign of the quality of the establishment when caraway is in a separate dispenser. As a sign of this, many restaurants have, in addition to the salt and pepper, a little pot for caraway seeds. Strangers to this custom probably ask where the ''Musik'' is. They most likely are told, ''Die Musik kommt später,'' i.e. the music "comes later". This is a euphemism for the flatulence that the raw onions can provide during digestion. A more polite, but less likely explanation for the ''Musik'' is that the flasks of vinegar and oil customarily provided with the cheese would strike a musical note when they hit each other. Yet another theory as to the origin of this name is that it was coined because during the marinating process, the resulting gases rising up through the vinegar-oil mixture often produce a noticeable bubbling noise. ''Handkäse'' is popular among dieters and some

health food A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy. A healt ...

devotees. It is also popular among bodybuilders, runners, and weightlifters for its high content of protein while being relatively low in fat.

Serving

While ''Apfelwein'' is traditionally served with ''Handkäse'',

white wine White wine is a wine that is Fermentation in winemaking, fermented without skin contact. The wine color, colour can be straw-yellow, yellow-green, or yellow-gold. It is produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the non-coloured Juice vesicles, ...

, usually dry, is also preferred in some areas, such as

Rheinhessen Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...

References

German cheeses Cow's-milk cheeses Culture in Frankfurt Offenbach am Main Hessian cuisine German products with protected designation of origin {{germany-cheese-stub

Serving

See also

References