Hand cheese and more

"With or without caraway seeds - semi-solid or ripe?" is the key question that Hans-Jürgen Rühl asks his customers. Two, three or even ten palm-sized, pale yellow coins are then quickly picked up, carefully wrapped in wrapping paper and handed over the counter. This goes on for a whole market day. On a good day, several hundred "Handkäse" - a cow's milk cheese made from sour milk curd - are sold. His round bestseller weighs exactly 62.5 grams. According to a measurement table from 1802, this corresponds to two ounces or an eighth of a pound. "This historical unit of measurement still applies to Handkäs'," says Hans-Jürgen Rühl, who is actually a farmer and lives in Solms in central Hesse.

Officially, the first Hessian hand cheeses are said to have been formed in Groß-Gerau and offered for sale at the market in Mainz. The culinary cultural asset with the PGI quality mark* has been available at the Offenbach weekly market for almost 80 years. Back then, a woman from Hüttenberg was sitting on a stool in her traditional costume with the distinctive black ribbon hood, the "Maratz". In front of her in a wooden box - the hand-molded cheese coins. "She was called 'the stool lady'", says Rühl, adding: "I'm a bit more comfortable in my trolley these days". The market supplier took over the hand cheese stall nine years ago from the Weber cheese dairy in Hüttenberg - the hand cheese capital of Hesse.

In addition to Hüttenberg hand cheese, the farmer from Solms also sells eggs, pasta and homemade sausage from a neighboring butcher. For Rühl, hand cheese is a staple food that he prefers to enjoy classically with "music" - with onions, vinegar and oil. "I pickle my hand cheese at lunchtime so that it's well done by the evening," he reveals. But the cheese doesn't go in the fridge. "Handkäs' needs to see the light," says the connoisseur. It should only be stored in the fridge as stock and can be kept there for up to two weeks. Hand cheese can even be frozen. In an emergency, however, the product can survive a few days without refrigeration: Hans-Jürgen Rühl once sent two boxes, each containing 48 cheese taler, to the North Sea coast as a postal package for an "exiled Hessian".

Recipe idea: Handkäs' salad with black pudding

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 hand cheeses (matured)
• ½ ring of medium-firm smoked black pudding
• 1- 2 firm, tart apples (e.g. Renette, Jona Gold, Goldparmäne)
• 2 red onions
• 1 cup (200g) sour cream or sour cream
• salt and pepper, freshly ground

Preparation:

Cut the black pudding and hand cheese into small cubes. Peel and finely dice the onions and apples. Stir the sour cream in a large bowl until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Then fold in the sausage, cheese, apples and onions. Leave to infuse in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Season again if necessary. Remove from the fridge just before serving, as the Handkäs' should not be eaten too cold.

Tip: With fresh sourdough bread, the salad becomes a hearty "snack", with fried potatoes a nutritious main course. For guests, you can conjure up a quick rustic starter by filling three to four tablespoons of Handkä` blood sausage salad into small jars.

Good to know: There are many regional varieties of Handkäse in Hesse. There is Hessian and Mainz hand cheese, Odenwald cheese and farmer's cheese.