Cooking and sporting traditions in Switzerland
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Most elaborate dishes for birthdays and Christmas family celebrations are prepared by women. Only wine-making and meat preparation are not entrusted to wives by men. The originality of many Swiss dishes is reflected in their simplicity. For example, fondue was invented by shepherds. In the mountains, the shepherd's company had nothing but a piece of cheese, a bottle of wine and stale bread. They melted the cheese in wine and ate the bread by dipping it into the wok.
Another variation on the dish was raclette: melted hot cheese poured over slices of ham, boiled potatoes and homemade sausages.
The national conservatism of the Swiss is manifested in the fact that the French version of the sweet fondue (in which the fruit is dipped in melted chocolate) is not widespread in the country.
Of the cantonal Swiss specialities, the most noteworthy are:
- Zurich's "geschnetzeltes" (veal or chicken stewed in a creamy sauce);
- "Alpen macaroni" (macaroni casserole with cheese and potatoes popular in the Italian-speaking cantons of Switzerland);
- Geneva "filet de perche" (fried perch with a sauce of butter, white wine, lemon);
- Zug cherry cake.
Delicious honey biscuits (with hot chocolate or milk) are served at Christmas in all Swiss cantons.
Sporting tradition
Mountains cover up to 70% of Switzerland. The Swiss folk tradition of alpine skiing and downhill skiing has led to the development of international sports such as Alpine skiing and mountaineering. The Swiss have traditionally been strong in these disciplines, as children start at the age of 3. There are Olympic champions from Switzerland around the world:
- P, Zurbriggen, D. Defago, K. Janka (alpine skiing);
- D. Kolonya (cross-country skiing);
- P. Kummer, N. Galmarini (snowboarding);
- S. Amanna (ski jumping).
The first ski resort in world history was Glarus in Switzerland. The country now has more than 200 ski centres. Ski resorts are far ahead of sightseeing excursions in Switzerland's tourism industry.
Renowned Swiss mountaineers like G. Dierenfurt (organiser of Himalayan expeditions), Erhard Loretan (conqueror of all the world's eight thousand meter peaks) and Uli Steckel (record-holder in solo mountaineering) have achieved outstanding results in mountain climbing.
At home the Swiss continue to take part in national sports that are not recognised internationally. The most popular of these is Hornussen. In this game, competitors use their wooden chindel sticks to bounce a heavy rubber puck around without letting it fly for a maximum distance.
The Schwingen martial art competition is also popular in the German-speaking cantons. The traditional event involves contestants wearing shorts over their tracksuit. The competition takes place on a sawdust track and only grappling with the shorts is allowed. Three referees judge the accuracy of the over a hundred holds. The two-time championships winner earns the title "Schwingerkönig" ("King of Schwinger"). Thousands of Swiss and foreign tourists flock to watch the wrestling events.
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