Handkäse mit Musik

Handkäse mit Musik is a small round of tangy, low-fat sour-milk cheese marinated in vinegar, oil, onion and caraway. It's Hesse's pub snack, and the name literally means "hand cheese with music" — a nod, most people agree, to the digestive effects of all that raw onion and vinegar working through the evening.

What it actually is

Handkäse is a small, disc-shaped sour-milk cheese, traditionally shaped by hand rather than pressed in a mould, with a pungent aroma and a soft, slightly rubbery texture as it ages — it's made without rennet, from soured skimmed milk curd alone, which is why it's so low in fat compared with most other cheeses. It sits whole or sliced in a marinade of vinegar, olive oil, chopped onion rings and caraway seeds for at least a few hours, softening its edge and pickling the onion through it.

The onion and vinegar aren't a garnish — they're what "mit Musik" refers to. A plain, unmarinated Handkäse is a different, much milder snack; the pickled onion and vinegar marinade is specifically what earns the dish its playful name.

How it's served

• At room temperature, on a small plate with the marinated onions piled on top.
• With rye bread and butter, and often a cold beer, at a traditional Apfelwein pub.
• As a starter or light snack, rarely as a full meal on its own.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag dairy; the cheese is the entire dish.
• Say that it has a strong aroma and tangy flavour, since guests unfamiliar with sour-milk cheese may not expect it.
• Note the raw onion and vinegar marinade, since some guests may want to know before ordering.
• Mention that it's naturally vegetarian, a straightforward option among heavier meat-forward starters.