And I tried some today!
Quite fragrant, at least as much so as your typical Limburger, or so it seemed to me.
It also had a few more bitter notes that separated the flavor from Limburger.
Even though I could have bought a half a pound for $4.99, I chose to not purchase any.
Even so, I’m happy to have gotten to try a cheese that was formerly considered “extinct”.
Anybody else going to rush out and try some of this legendary cheese?
<<crickets chirping>>
I can’t say I knew it was gone. I wonder if its name has something to do with the popular German, “HandKäse mit Musik”? Die Zwiebeln…
It was named for a Leiderkrantz Society, a type of German glee club.
It also wasn’t the recipe that made Leiderkrantz; it was the bacteria in the processing plant. When the moved to a new plant, the cheese didn’t taste any good, so they went back to the old one and scraped the walls and other surfaces until the bacteria gained a foothold.
Eventually, the brand was sold to Borden, who stopped marketing it. It does look like someone kept some of the bacteria, so the cheese might be the same.
I’d love to give it a try.
I’d love to give it a try on Dark Bread with handkase dressing, hot German Mustard and sweet onions.
My dad used to eat it, 40 years ago or more. [/nostalgia]
Here’s a recipe for Handkäse mit Musik (Hand(made)Cheese with Music). I thought perhaps Liederkranz was an allusion or double entendre of Handkäse mit Musik, as the name is a bit of a fart joke referring to the onions as the “music”… so, Liederkranz mit musik would seem ironic and perhaps an inside joke, or illustrious of the perfect cheese for the score. Liederkranz would seem the perfect substitute for the Handkäse judging from descriptions of taste and smell. Apparently real Handkäse is not that difficult to make at home, either- if not a bit of a slow process.
Here’s my take on it:
Liederkranz mit Musik
2 Thick slices of Liederkranz in a tupperware dish with lid
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup veg oil
1-2 tablespoon Hot Dusseldorfer Lion Mustard (or less ideally, spicy, Grey Poupon style mustard)
2 or 3 cloves finely sliced pickled garlic
1/2 of a large Vidalia, Maui, or Walla Walla Sweet Onion chopped in ultra thin crescent slices (a mandolin works well here.).
A generous dash of salt, a pinch of sugar, and plenty of Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Caraway seeds on the side to be added of own accord or as garnish
Prepare the vinegar, oil, and mustard as a dressing by whisking and then seasoning to taste. Add the thinly sliced onions and pickled garlic to the dressing. Toss, and pour the onions and dressing over the Liederkranz in the sealed container. Marinate the cheese and onions for a minimum of an hour, 2-3 hours ideally. You can refrigerate or leave at room temperature for the marination as a matter of preference. Serve with a very hearty, brown, German Farmer’s Bread or something in the rye or pumpernickle family. Butter a slice heavily, and load with the cheese and plenty of Musik (onions), eat open faced- sprinkle with caraway as desired.
The best accompaniement to the Liederkranz mit musik would be a nice Strongbow, hard cider, or ideally some German Appelwoi ausm Bembelchen.