The Franconian Brotzeit is a cold meal of bread, ham, sausage, Pressack (headcheese), Obazda (spiced camembert spread) and radish — the Franconian counterpart to the Bavarian Brotzeit, but with its own character. In many Franconian beer cellars and pubs it is permitted and common to bring your own food. Obazda, a spiced camembert spread, is the best-known component.
Obazda
Obazda (also Obatzda, Obazter) is a spiced cheese cream made from ripe soft cheese — classically Camembert — with butter, cream cheese, sweet paprika, caraway and onions. It is spreadable, orange-coloured, and belongs at a Franconian beer cellar table as naturally as the Kellerbier itself.
What makes a good Obazda: properly ripe Camembert with real flavour (not fresh), enough butter for creaminess, sweet paprika (not sharp), caraway used with restraint, onions finely diced. Eaten on a thick slice of farmhouse rye bread with a radish alongside, it cuts through the freshness of a Kellerbier in exactly the right way.
Pressack
Pressack (also Presswurst or Sülze depending on region and producer) is a pressed pork terrine from pig's head meat and offal, formed in a press and chilled. The result is dark red to brown with a firm, gelatinous texture and an intense, savoury flavour.
It is eaten sliced, drizzled with vinegar and oil, often with fresh onions. This is the classic version: "Pressack mit Essig und Öl". With bread, with a Kellerbier. It is an everyday dish of Franconian cuisine — not a set-piece for visitors, but what locals eat.
The Wurstplatte
A Brotzeit platter in a Franconian Gasthof is not supermarket charcuterie. It contains what the house butcher produces — and that varies: Leberwurst, Blutwurst, Pressack, Landjäger, sometimes Weißwurst, sometimes a small warm sausage. The platter is the cheapest and often most satisfying option in a beer cellar.
What Belongs on a Good Brotzeit Plate
- Obazda — always
- Various cold cuts (at least Leberwurst and a cooked sausage)
- Farmhouse rye or dark bread, not white toast
- Butter
- Radishes, pickles
- Sweet mustard (süßer Senf)
- Optional: cheese, Landjäger, Pressack
Bringing Your Own Brotzeit
At many Franconian beer cellars, bringing your own food is permitted. The unwritten rule: drinks are bought from the operator; food may be brought in. Always ask before unpacking a complete picnic — a polite question causes no offence. This tradition has historical roots: beer cellars long had no kitchen, and guests brought food from home. The beer was the cellar's product; food was private business. In many cellars, this still applies.