Käsekrainer

Lore & Background

Käsekrainer was created in the late 1960s by chef Herbert Schuch from Buchkirchen and Franz Thalhammer, both from Upper Austria. It is a variety of Carniolan sausage, made with roughly torn bits of pork and 10% to 20% cheese, such as Emmentaler, cut into small cubes. The sausage is lightly smoked and can be cooked, roasted, or grilled.

In Vienna, Käsekrainer is a very popular dish sold at Würstelstand outlets. An urban legend describes a customary order in Viennese dialect as 'a Eitrige mit an Schoafn, an Bugel und an 16er-Blech,' though this phrase is uncommon in actual Viennese parlance and can mark its user as an inexperienced tourist. A modern addition includes 'owa Tschenifer,' a cacography of the singer Jennifer Rush's name.

In April 2012, Slovenia announced it would seek EU protection for the product name 'Krainer,' which would have required renaming the Austrian sausage. On 15 June 2012, Austria and Slovenia reached a compromise: Slovenia could protect 'Kranjska Klobasa,' while Austria could still use 'Krainer Wurst' or 'Käsekrainer.'

Reader's Guide

Käsekrainer holds significance as a distinctive Austrian sausage that blends pork with cheese, setting it apart from other Brühwurst varieties. Its invention in the late 1960s by Herbert Schuch and Franz Thalhammer reflects regional culinary innovation in Upper Austria. The sausage is widely available across Austria at sausage stands and in shops for home consumption and barbecues, making it a staple of casual dining.

Its legacy includes a popular hot dog variant served in hollow white bread with mustard or ketchup, and the 'Kafka' sandwich known in the Linz area. The 2012 naming dispute with Slovenia over the term 'Krainer' highlights the cultural and legal dimensions of food heritage, resolved by allowing Austria to retain 'Käsekrainer' while Slovenia protected 'Kranjska Klobasa.' The Viennese dialect phrase associated with ordering Käsekrainer, though largely a tourist trope, has become part of local lore. Käsekrainer should not be confused with the Berner sausage, a Vienna sausage filled with Emmentaler and wrapped in bacon.

Did You Know?

• Käsekrainer contains 10% to 20% cheese, such as Emmentaler, cut into small cubes.
• It was invented in the late 1960s by Herbert Schuch and Franz Thalhammer from Upper Austria.
• In the Linz area, a Käsekrainer Bosna sandwich is known as a 'Kafka.'
• A 2012 compromise allowed Austria to keep the name 'Käsekrainer' while Slovenia protected 'Kranjska Klobasa.'