Rauchkäse

Rauchkäse is a German semi-soft cheese that has been cold-smoked over hardwood, traditionally birch or spruce, giving the rind a deep amber colour and the paste a distinctive woodsmoke aroma layered over the milk. The best-known variety is Bruder Basil, named for Bavarian dairy entrepreneur Basil Weixler, whose company has been producing it in the Allgäu since the 1930s. The interior of a good Rauchkäse is supple, pale ivory to straw, with a smooth, slightly waxy texture and a balanced smoky character that is strongest near the rind and gentler at the centre. Younger wheels are eaten within weeks of smoking; aged wheels develop a denser paste and a more concentrated, almost bacon-like depth.

Rauchkäse is a fixture of German cheese counters and is the most common cheese used to make Obatzda, the paprika-and-beer-cheese spread served in Bavarian beer gardens. It is also sliced for hearty open-faced sandwiches (Brotzeit) and grated over Käsespätzle, where the smoke pairs with caramelised onion.