Halver cock

A Rhenish Halver Hahn (half rooster) consists of a rye roll (the Röggelchen) with (sometimes) butter and a thick topping of Gouda cheese. No cock, no meat – none of it. For that you still get mustard, onions and a Kölsch.

There are various stories about the origin of the name. Relatively comprehensible is the poor man’s food “Handkäs” which was eaten on a Röggelchen. In Cologne it was called Halver Hahn for short. Later this Handkäs (a pickled sour milk cheese) which was originally formed “by hand” was replaced by a medium aged Gouda.

Recipe Halver cock

All you need is a rye roll from your local bakery, a slice or two of good gouda, some onion rings, mustard and butter if you wish. Assemble everything into a sandwich and serve on a plate….
A Kölsch beer goes well with this; a top-fermented beer from the Cologne area.