Special features of Swiss specialities
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For centuries, Swiss cuisine has been shaped by the culinary traditions of its neighbours - Italy, Germany, and France. As a result, the culinary preferences of the Swiss are varied and diverse, and so are the culture and traditions of the country. Each region has its own distinctive cuisine. For example, the Italian cantons in the south of the country have an excellent pasta culture. The French part of the state is famous for its fondue and raclette. The Germanic peoples have given Swiss cuisine a number of sausages and rösti. The eastern regions have excellent beef and fish cured meats.
Traditional Swiss menu
One can describe Swiss cuisine as "plain" and simple products are generally used. In some cases, however, one encounters some rather original and bold combinations of ingredients.
The dishes that carry the Swiss seal of approval are:
- cheese raclette;
- welsh bread made from rye flour;
- cured meats from Graubünden;
- bratwurst sausages.
The Swiss make sure that their national food is healthy as well as tasty, and choose the right ingredients for each dish with care. Each region of the country is famous for certain treats.
Rösti
This national dish is traditional for Zurich, the German-speaking part of the country. The main ingredient is potatoes. There are several ways to prepare the dish - with bacon, vegetables or Appenzell cheese.
Tirggel biscuits
A traditional Christmas dessert. They are baked in the form of figures. After baking, one side stays white and the other side turns golden. In addition to honey, the biscuits are flavoured with spices.
The recipe for this national dessert has spread all over Europe, but it is in Zurich that the original method has survived. Legend has it that a wife used honey to poison her husband.
The dessert is traditionally baked for Christmas, so the figures symbolise the biblical theme. The recipe is as simple as possible - flour, water, sugar and spices are added to taste. The dessert is baked at a temperature of +400 degrees, which is what gives the treat its typical brownish hue.
In addition to biscuits and rösti, Zurich cuisine is famous for a dish of mushrooms in a cream and muesli sauce invented by doctor Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner at the end of the last century.
Mehlsuppe flour soup
Wheat or rye flour is used as the main ingredient; if the soup is made in the French-speaking part of the state, corn flour is added. In the past, the national dish was traditional for poor families. Today, it is eaten during Lent. In addition to flour, the recipe calls for the addition of milk, salt, favourite spices, bacon, various herbs, and meat broth.
Basler Läckerli Swiss honey gingerbread
A delicious dessert made of wheat flour, honey, candied fruits and almonds. Gingerbread was invented by traders over seven centuries ago. They were first served at the Church Council in the 14th century.
Fasnachtskiechli
Fasnachtskiechli is a type of dessert, it's a common horseradish, meaning a pitted patch. The Swiss dish is served under a different name in different regions:
- in Bern, it's called Chilbiblätz;
- in the French-speaking part of the country - Merveilles.
In Basel they serve it on carnival days; in other regions it is served when the church is to be blessed.
Fondue
The Swiss national dish is based on cheese, most often of the Grüer and Vaheron varieties. Also included in the recipe is white wine and a favourite combination of spices. One serving serves enough for 2 to 4 people. They are eaten with bread and dipped into the cheese mixture.
Every region makes fondue from a particular combination of cheeses. There are also variations of fondue in the Swiss cuisine:
- tomato - where tomatoes are used instead of wine;
- spicy - with chili peppers;
- mushroom fondue - with champignons.
Raclette
There are two versions of this dish in Swiss cuisine - the classic and the restaurant version.
According to the traditional recipe, a piece of cheese is melted and then the cheese mixture is mixed with the vegetables directly on the plate.
At the restaurant, the guests are served potatoes in a sack and a plate of vegetables. They also bring an appliance consisting of a roaster, where the pieces of meat are cooked, and a tray, where they put the cheese and melt it. The guest then mixes the vegetables, meat slices and melted cheese themselves.
Pape Vodoua
Translated as a thick soup from the Vaudois region, this dish is made with a mixture of potatoes and leeks which are stewed in cream. It is made from a mixture of potatoes and leeks which are stewed in cream. However, the main ingredient is a special kind of sausage made from minced pork with cabbage in a natural casing.
Alplermagronen pasta
Translated, the name means 'pasta of the Alpine shepherds'. It's said to have been made with everything at hand - pasta, potatoes, bacon and of course melted cheese. It is served with apple sauce.
The recipe for Alplermagronen varies depending on the geographical location - the canton of Uri does not use potatoes and some other regions don't add bacon.
Cherry cake
The canton of Zug makes the best cherry pie; the original recipe uses kirsch. The specialty of the national cake is cherries, it is believed that the most delicious berries are grown in the canton of Zug. The famous cherry trees were already known about in 1627.
The traditional cherry cake is a sponge cake, a walnut meringue which is smeared with a creamy cream and cherry syrup.
The recipe was created by local pastry chef Heinrich Höhn. Charlie Chaplin and Audrey Hepburn loved the dessert.
Also traditional in Central Switzerland is the meat pie with a cream filling. It is served in a first course bowl.
Polenta Corn Porridge
It is a porridge cooked from shredded corn grits with the addition of cheese. Served as a main dish or as a side dish. For centuries, only poor families ate polenta. The first time maize was cultivated in Switzerland (Canton Ticino) was in the 17th century. However, it was not until two centuries later that the national dish was cooked exclusively from corn flour - originally the porridge was made from a mixture of different types of flour.
According to the traditional recipe, corn flour is mixed with water, stirred with a wooden spoon and boiled for 30-40 minutes until it thickens. Then they are poured into a tray, cooled and cut into portions. The polenta is served with mushrooms, anchovies or pieces of meat.
The canton of Ticino is also popular for roasted chestnuts, sold in the streets of the town, and the chestnut purée is used to make sweet vermicelli.
Bündnerfleisch jerky
In the canton of Graubünden, a visit to a restaurant requires a knowledge of the local cuisine. The local dishes have names so intricate that they are difficult to understand without help. However, all the treats are simple and delicious. Perhaps the most popular is Bündnerfleisch, the cured meat. The national treat is made from various kinds of meat, the traditional recipe being beef, the more expensive version from game, with venison being in particular demand.
The meat is left to rest under the scorching sun for several months in the open air, and is first rubbed with spices, salt, and herbs. Before serving, the food is sliced thin, which tastes best with red wine.
Emmental Cheese
Many people associate Switzerland with cheese; there are hundreds of varieties of this treat that have become a national treat. Each region has its own unique cheeses, made according to unique recipes. Emmental is considered the most "Swiss", with a slightly sweet flavour, spiced up with a mixture of spices. Gruyere is another famous cheese, it has no holes and the taste has a tangy nutty note. The oldest cheese is Appenzellerne. The recipe for this treat is over seven hundred years old. The secret lies in the special mixture of herbs and white wine that is soaked into the cheese.
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