Schinken Käse Toast

Lukas Quittan shares why this beloved classic is impossible to fuck up and the essential role of ketchup.

Dec 31, 2023

Wowza - it’s hard to believe it’s already the end of 2023. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays with friends, family, and lots of good food. Enjoy this last cheesy post of the year!

Favorite Food interviews real people about their favorite food.

Even if Schinken Käse Toast is shitty, it's still good.

A few days after Christmas, still full from endless festivities, we met up with Lukas Quittan in Vienna to see what Schinken Käse Toast is all about.

We proceeded to order 5 Schinken Käse Toasts.

Between cheese-pull bites and sips of coffee, Lukas, a graffiti artist, advertising strategist, and Viennese native, shares why this classic dish never disappoints, how to make one, and why ketchup is a must.

What's your favorite food and what is it?

Schinken Käse Toast. It’s the people’s food.

It’s so simple, its name simply describes its ingredients: ham, cheese, and toast - ham and cheese toast - Schinken Käse Toast. It’s so easy, even a fuckin’ donkey - to misquote Gordon Ramsey - could do it.

You take a slice of toast, put on some cheese, then some ham, and finish it off with another exquisite slice of toast. Slap that into a sandwich maker, pan, oven, or a very hot car hood and you’re done. Bliss awaits.

It is a staple in every family household, student flatshare, dodgy cafe, sports club canteen, Freibad (outdoor pool), or proper Beisl (a Viennese restaurant).

Even if Schinken Käse Toast is shitty, it's still good. You can hardly fuck it up, but you can make it really good. The baseline’s already amazing, and you can only improve from there.

Schinken Käse Toast - the people’s food.

Why is this your favorite food?

Because it’s the Swiss army knife of proper snacks.

First, it’s stupidly simple to make, so you can hardly get it wrong. You can conjure up a good Schinken Käse Toast in a highly intoxicated state after a decent night out, as a complete kitchen novice venturing into a kitchen for the first time, or as a time-pressed advertising strategist, grazing office fridges at night. Oddly specific, but true!

Second, it’s cheap. Which, in times like these is great. Take that, inflation.

Thirdly, it tastes fucking phenomenal, every time. You have the warm crunch of the toast, the meaty bite of the ham, and the gooey cheese emulsifying everything into a heartwarming, messy treat. Summertime or wintertime, it’s always a good time for Schinken Käse Toast.

Top that off with some ketchup to dip it and you’re set.

This place had mustard instead of ketchup, but it was also nice.

Describe the perfect Schinken Käse Toast.

As the French have always known, the secret lies in the butter. You have to butter up BOTH sides of your toast to get a really nice and crispy crust on the outside and some additional flavor on the inside.

Then, get some quality cheese. I mean the plastic-y “Toastkäse” will absolutely do it (and has done it thousands of times), but play around with something like Gruyere, Comte, or as I learned recently - Schlossberg. It elevates the texture and flavor.

The perfect Schinken Käse Toast doesn’t need more than that, so don’t overdo it with some weird additions like egg, salad, or tomatoes.

But the most important part: you have to draw a face on the toast with your ketchup. Generations of kids will confirm this. (Pic for reference)

Lukas made this piece of art the next day.

Any interesting facts about Schinken Käse Toast?

I once ate ten Schinken Käse Toasts in a row. My wife is still disgusted with me. But again, it shows its versatility - from a snack to a ten-course meal.

Lukas only ate 1.5 sandwiches this time around.

What’s one memory you have of Schinken Käse Toast?

My mom has these massive photo albums that get dusted off once a year at Christmas. And every year one photo in particular strikes me. It shows me as a three or four-year-old, face and hands covered in ketchup, enjoying - you guessed it - a Schinken Käse Toast. So I guess my love for this magnificent dish has been growing since my early days.

I still aspire to eat with this carefree attitude of the photo, but when you’re over thirty covering your whole face and hands with ketchup becomes harder. Not impossible, just weirder.