Dishes of Switzerland: national cuisine and its characteristics, recipes for home

Swiss cuisine has been formed over many centuries under the influence of the culinary traditions of neighboring countries - Italy, Germany, France. As a result, the gastronomic preferences of the Swiss are multifaceted and varied, just like the culture and traditions of the country. Each region has unique culinary preferences. For example, in the Italian cantons located in the southern part of the country, pasta is skillfully cooked. The French part of the state is famous for fondue and raclette. The Germanic peoples gave Swiss cuisine numerous sausages and rösti. In the eastern regions, dried beef and fish are excellent. You will find out whether they eat cats in Switzerland at the end of the article.

The national cuisine of Switzerland is one of the most traditional and conservative; local residents revere centuries-old traditions; many dishes are prepared according to ancient recipes that have not changed for centuries.

Swiss cuisine

Swiss cuisine is heavily influenced by neighboring countries: France, Italy and, of course, is often close to German cuisine, with its beer, sausages and pretzels.
However, Switzerland also has a number of unique dishes. Switzerland's four linguistic regions (German, French, Italian and Romansh (spoken almost exclusively in the canton of Graubünden) have their own range of special dishes.

Select region of Switzerland:

• Zurich
• Appenzeller
• St. Gallen
• Berne
• Basel and northwestern Switzerland
• French part
• Lucerne and Central Switzerland
• Southern Switzerland (Italian part)
• Grisons (Retro-Romanesque part)
• Beverages
• Popular dishes in Swiss restaurants

Historical reference

Kaiser Wilhelm II
Many monarchs influenced not only the political and cultural life of the country, but also the culinary traditions and preferences of the people. A typical example of such a pattern is Germany.

King William II was a strict and capricious monarch.

• During his reign, a strict ban was introduced on conversations during meals and on discussing products and dishes in society. Any conversations on such topics were considered a shameful activity.
• The king had a negative attitude towards any culinary delights; he believed that people should eat bland and simple. The only thing they were allowed as a “color” for the Lenten meal was flour sauce.

Question to the expert

How deep is the history of cooking in Germany?

The formation of culinary preferences in the country began after the Second World War.

What is Swiss cuisine?

When you hear the phrase “Swiss cuisine,” you usually think of cheese and chocolate. Swiss cheeses, in particular Emmentaler, Gruyère, Vacherin and Appenzeller , are the most famous Swiss products. The most popular cheese dishes are fondue and raclette. Both of these dishes were originally regional, but gradually spread throughout Switzerland.

Rösti are a popular potato side dish eaten throughout Switzerland. They were originally eaten for breakfast, but have been replaced by muesli, which is now popular for breakfast. In Switzerland, muesli is called " Birchermüesli " (" Birchermiesli " in some regions). For breakfast and dinner, many Swiss people enjoy sliced ​​bread with butter and jam. Switzerland has a very wide selection of bread, which is usually baked right in the store. There is bread with the addition of all kinds of seeds and bran, sometimes even bread with onions! Bread and cheese are a popular dinner item.

Tarts and quiches are also traditional Swiss dishes. Tarts, in particular, are eaten with all sorts of additions, from sweet apples to onions. One example of "regional dishes" is zürigschnätzlets - thin strips of veal with mushrooms in a cream sauce, served with rösti.

Italian cuisine is most popular in Switzerland. 9 out of 10 restaurants will be Italian. The most popular are various pastas (pasta with sauce) and pizzas, as well as risotto (round rice prepared in a special way, resembling a sticky single mass - sounds terrible, but tasty, especially with porcini mushrooms or truffles).

In the Italian part of Switzerland - the canton of Ticino - there is a unique type of restaurant - Grotto (cave). These are village restaurants offering traditional dishes, ranging from pasta to homemade meat. Luganighe and Luganighetta are popular dishes . Such restaurants are most often located in and around forests and near rocks. Typically, the façade is built from granite blocks, and the tables and benches outside are made from the same blocks. Grottos are popular with locals and tourists, especially during the hot summer months.

Cervelat or cervelas are considered the national sausage, and are popular throughout Switzerland.

You can conditionally divide the most popular dishes by region, but you must keep in mind that, for example, the same fondue is not limited only to the French part, but is popular throughout Switzerland.

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Regional features

In the southern cantons, almost exclusively Italian cuisine is used with its pastas, pizza, carpaccio, scampi and risotto, with an abundance of herbs and olive oil. At the same time, the already international “polenta” is widely used as an everyday dish, which is made here from coarsely ground corn flour with the addition of processed cheese, liver and other meat products. However, in recent years, globalization has penetrated here too, and now in all major resort areas you can find a menu with absolutely any set of dishes.

Zurich

Zurich's traditional dishes are Zürcher Geschnetzelte, Kalbfleisch, Kalbsnieren , mushrooms in cream sauce, as well as Rösti .

In addition, Birchermüesli , a muesli created by the Swiss physician Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner around 1900, is known throughout the world.

During the Christmas period, Tirggel - honey cookies baked in the shape of figures.

Rösti

This is a simple potato dish, traditional for the German part. From it comes the term "Rösti ditch", an imaginary line - or cultural division - between the German-speaking and French-speaking regions in Switzerland. However, roshti is sometimes served in the French part.

Various additives can be added to Rösti for taste, depending on the region: bacon in Berner Rösti, vegetables, eggs, Appenzell cheese, etc.

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes

In Zurich dialect: Züri-Gschnätzlets; in French: émincé de veau zurichoise or Emincé à la zurichoise. It consists of tender pieces of chopped veal in a creamy sauce.

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes were first mentioned in a cookbook in 1947: a dish of veal with a white wine and cream sauce was described. Options with mushrooms are also popular.

Rösti is usually served as a side dish for Zürcher Geschnetzeltes.

Birchermuesli (muesli)

"Birchermüesli" were invented by Dr. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner (1867-1939), a pioneer of organic medicine and a supporter of natural food.

Bircher-Benner's original muesli recipe looked like this (for one person): * 1 tablespoon oatmeal, soaked overnight in 2-3 tablespoons water * 1 tablespoon lemon juice * 1 tablespoon sweetened milk * 200 g apples (about 1 large apple, preferably sour), grated and mixed with everything else just before serving. *optional - 1 tablespoon hazelnuts or almonds

Tirggel

Tirggel are spiced honey cookies popular in Zurich at Christmas and Sechselaeuten. Tirggel are baked in such a way that the side with the pattern is golden brown, the other side remains light.

Tirggel were not invented in Zurich - recipes and forms have been preserved from Mesopotamia, from where these cookies spread throughout Europe. However, to this day it has survived only in Zurich.

The first mention of them in writing in Zurich dates back to 1461. There is also a story about a wife who poisoned her husband with the help of these cookies.

Cookie molds were usually cut out of wood. The pictures were made based on motifs from the Bible or scenes from life.

The cookie recipe includes honey, flour, sugar and water. Cookies that are handmade can contain up to 30% honey. The dough, rolled out to a thickness of 2 mm, is placed in molds where the desired pattern is squeezed out, after which it is baked at 400 ° C for 90 seconds, which forms the typical brown color of Tirggel.

Zopf (bread)

There are many types of bread in Switzerland, but this is the one that is usually eaten on Sundays in Switzerland. In fact, this is something very similar to the Russian “braid”.

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Dessert

It is difficult to imagine Switzerland without chocolate, although cocoa beans do not grow here, and there have never been colonies capable of supplying them

It is difficult to imagine Switzerland without chocolate, although cocoa beans do not grow here, and there have never been colonies capable of supplying them. And yet this country has become the world's largest producer of chocolate, which has long been a national symbol along with cheese, watches, weapons and financial institutions.

The reason for this is simple - it is believed that in 1875 it was the Swiss Daniel Peter who first learned to produce solid milk chocolate in the form of bars. Nowadays, several hundred types of first-class chocolate are produced here, both factory-made and hand-made. This is both one of the most popular ingredients in many local desserts and an excellent “souvenir”. And the Swiss themselves consume this product more than anyone else in the world - according to some estimates, more than 12 kilograms per year per capita.

At the same time, the favorite desserts within the country are still considered to be more traditional dishes - all kinds of sweets, sugar buns and spicy honey gingerbreads "Leckerli", Basel gingerbread, puff pastries "Zuger-Kirschtorte", all kinds of pies "Kuchli", almond-chocolate cookies "Brunsli" "(considered the hallmark of Basel), various buns, rolls, muffins, shortcakes and so on.

It is interesting that even muesli, popular all over the world, was also invented in Switzerland - at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner (one of the founders of modern dietetics, by the way) simply dried a simple folk dish (practically a porridge made from rolled oats and wheat flakes ), added raisins, nuts and apples - and got exactly the product that is now consumed in colossal quantities throughout the planet.

Appenzeller

Biber

Originally from the canton of Appenzeller, sweet Biber is a gingerbread with a nut cream filling, decorated with a pattern. Small bibers, called biberli, are popular throughout Switzerland.

Drinks that are traditional for this canton are Appenzeller Alpenbitter and Quöllfrisch . In addition, the soft drinks Flauder, Wonder and Himml also come from Appenzeller.

Flauder

Mineral water with elderberry and lemon balm flavor. The drink was created quite recently - in April 2002 - completely by accident. In search of new flavors, we mistakenly mixed lemon balm and elderberry.

The mineral water comes from the Goba spring in Gontenbad in the canton of Appenzeller.

Without any advertising, the drink quickly became a bestseller. It is sold primarily in the eastern part of Switzerland. The name Flauder itself comes from the word Flickflauder, which means “butterfly” in the local dialect.

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St. Gallen

The famous Olma Bratwurst bratwurst comes from this canton. This is also where the Schüblig .

Olma Bratwurst

OLMA is a local fair that takes place annually in autumn in St. Gallen and lasts 11 days. The fair begins every year on Thursday until October 16, on the feast of St. Gallus, the patron saint of the city. The fair includes a parade on Saturday from the city station through the city center and, of course, eating the legendary Olma Bratwurst grilled sausages.

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Aristocrat's breakfast

Breakfast for any Swiss is sacred. Especially if it starts with ruddy ones, reminiscent of potato pancakes. Grate 800 g of raw potatoes on a coarse grater, add salt and pepper to taste, pour in 80 g of melted butter and mix. Place thin flatbreads with a spoon onto a hot frying pan with oil and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. Golden rashti will be perfectly complemented by delicate fish paste. Mix 200 g of smoked salmon, 150 g of cream cheese, 3-4 chives and beat everything into a homogeneous mass. This delicious combination is perfect for a family breakfast on a Sunday morning.

Berne

Bern added Berner Platte , as well as the dessert Meringue (meringue) , which comes from the town of Meiringen, which is usually served with whipped cream. Zwiebelkuchen is an onion pie popular at the annual Zibelemärit .

Berner Platte

The "Bernese dish" consists of different types of meat and sausages. For example, beef, pork, smoked beef tongue, smoked ham, Rippli (smoked salted pork), Schüfeli (pork shoulder), Gnagi (shanks), tongue sausage, pig ears or tails cooked with juniper, herbs and cabbage, complemented with pickled beets , green and/or dried beans and boiled potatoes or sauerkraut, served on a huge platter.

Zwiebelkuchen

A traditional onion pie made from a mixture of onions, sour cream or cream, eggs and diced bacon. Depending on the region, it is either baked on a baking sheet of yeast dough or made as a Lorraine casserole ( Quiche lorraine ) on a round base of shortcrust pastry.

Finely chopped onion is applied to the dough layer, after which the remaining ingredients are added: bacon, salt, caraway seeds, and the caraway seeds should contribute to better digestion of the pie.

There is a similar onion pie in Basel, but there it is prepared without lard. There are also options with bacon or leeks.

Onion pie is served hot for dinner with wine. In the fall, it must be new wine from the last harvest.

Meitschibei

In the Bernese dialect it sounds like Mädchenbeine - “girl's legs”. Essentially these are nut cookies. It is made from wheat dough and hazelnut filling. The dough is rolled out into a thin layer, the filling is added and rolled up. After which it is bent into a horseshoe shape and baked. This shape gives the liver its name.

Berner Lebkuchen

These are honey gingerbread cookies with nut filling. Typically, gingerbread cookies are decorated with a design of a bear, the heraldic animal of the city.

Emmental Apple Rösti

Roshti with cheese and apple slices. At one time, this dish was very popular due to the simplicity of the ingredients. The recipe comes from Emmental in the canton of Bern, home of the famous cheese.

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Viennese aromatic coffee

What is an Austrian dessert without Viennese coffee! To prepare two servings of the drink you will need:

• 45 ml cream;
• 75 ml coffee;
• 2 spoons of sugar.

For preparation in Austria, Arabica coffee is most often used (fine grind, medium roast). For Viennese coffee, be sure to buy coffee beans without potholes or chips. The grains should be ground right before preparing the drink, this way the maximum taste and aroma will be preserved. If possible, add homemade heavy cream. If you can’t buy them, then you can take store-bought 30%.

Viennese coffee is served in heated porcelain cups. Moreover, it is important that the walls of the cup are thick enough. The drink should remain warm for a long time. The less heat released into the environment, the better. Some recipes allow you to add cinnamon, orange or lemon zest, and nutmeg to Viennese coffee. You can also use melted ice cream or whipped cream.

Basel and Northwestern Switzerland

From here come dishes such as Basler Mehlsuppe, Käsewähe (flat pie with cheese and onions) and Fasnachtskiechli - all traditionally served at the carnival, as well as suuri Lääberli (sour liver pieces) and the sweet Basel gingerbread Basler Leckerli.

Basler Leckerli

Traditional honey gingerbread made from wheat flour, honey, candied fruits and almonds, with the addition of kirsch. They were first created by local spice traders over 700 years ago. Gingerbread was served as a snack to 300 people at a Church Council in the 15th century and impressed the head of the church. The official name "Basler Läckerli" took shape only in 1720.

Fasnachtskiechli

or Fasnachtschüechli is a regional and seasonal subspecies of Fettgebackenen (essentially brushwood). Other names include Chneublätz, which translates as knee patch, from the original manufacturing method. In the canton of Bern the name Chilbiblätz is used (from Chilbi - the original lighting of the church, and today a common folk holiday), in French Switzerland the name Merveilles is used. Fasnachtskiechli are distributed throughout Switzerland, but vary seasonally.

In the Basel region (and now almost everywhere in Switzerland) they are popular during the carnival period, in other regions they are a typical dish at church lighting. Together with Fastenwähe, Mehlsuppe, cheese and onion pie, Fasnachtskiechli is a typical dish during the Basel Carnival (Basler Fasnacht).

The dough for Fasnachtskiechli is made from eggs, cream and flour; a thin crust is rolled out and fried in oil. The finished crispy cake is sprinkled with powdered sugar on top.

Mehlsuppe

This is a very simple soup made from flour (mostly wheat or rye, in the French part sometimes corn) and water, with the addition of available ingredients. It used to be a typical breakfast dish for poor families.

Nowadays flour soup is eaten during Lent.

Traditionally, soup was made from flour and water or milk, with the addition of salt or sugar (depending on what was available). Sometimes cubes of bread were crumbled into the soup. To improve the taste of the soup, sometimes the flour was pre-fried in a frying pan until golden brown (Brennsuppe) or flour and butter were mixed (Einbrennsuppe).

Nowadays other ingredients are added to the soup, such as onions, spices, herbs, bacon, bone marrow or meat broth.

Käsewähe

Cheese pie (also in Swiss dialect: Kääswaie or Chäswaie ) A traditional dish during the Basel Carnival. The pie consists of a pastry dough and a filling (cream, milk, flour or cornstarch, eggs, Gruyeres, Sbrinz cheeses, as well as salt, pepper and fresh grated nutmeg).

There is also a sweet version of the pie - then it is called Käsetorte or Quarktorte and in fact becomes close to an English cheesecake.

Fotzel slices (Fotzelschnitte)

Nobody knows how this dish got its name. Fotzel means a piece of paper. In the Basel dialect, this means suspicious characters, or unlucky... Essentially these are crackers.

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Interesting recipes

Recipes for simple Swiss dishes and the availability of their ingredients allow you to update your home culinary collection.

New Year's salad

Ingredients:

• tarragon - 1 branch;
• cucumbers, fresh and pickled, medium-sized - 2 pcs.;
• medium-sized pears - 4 pcs.;
• meat products: carbonate, cervelat, boiled-smoked ham - 400 g each;
• lemon juice;
• mayonnaise - 5 tbsp.

Preparation procedure:

1. Wash the tarragon, chop it, mix with mayonnaise and lemon juice.
2. Peel the meat products from the casing and cut into strips.
3. Peel and chop the cucumbers.
4. Peel the pears and cut into thin strips.
5. Mix cooked meats, vegetables and fruits.
6. Season the mixture with mayonnaise-tarragon dressing and cover with a lid.

Leave the salad for 2 hours, then serve it.

Ham muffin

Ingredients:

• olives and black olives (pitted) - 50 g;
• wheat flour - 250 g;
• quick rising dry yeast - 1 package;
• raw eggs - 4 pcs.;
• low-fat cream - 100 ml;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp.,
• butter - 2 tbsp;
• beef ham - 240 g;
• granulated sugar cane - 5 tsp;
• sweet mustard - 1 tbsp;
• spices: salt, ground black pepper, dried dill.

Cooking process:

1. Pour the yeast into a bowl, add wheat flour, mix.
2. Mix raw eggs, cream, spices, granulated sugar, salt and beat everything.
3. Mix the whipped mixture with flour and yeast.
4. Add finely chopped olives, olives, beef ham to the dough.
5. Grease a rectangular mold with butter and distribute the finished dough in it.
6. Bake the dish in the oven at 210 C° for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 C° and bake for another 30 minutes.

Cool the finished cake, remove from the mold, cut and serve as a light snack.

Ham and olive muffin for snack.

Coffee roll

Ingredients for the dough:

• wheat flour - 4 tbsp;
• cocoa powder - 2 tbsp;
• instant coffee - 2 tsp;
• baking powder - 1 tsp;
• raw eggs - 3 pcs.;
• granulated sugar - 100 g;
• milk - 2 tbsp. l.

Ingredients for cream:

• heavy cream - 250 ml;
• granulated sugar - 1 tbsp. l.;
• instant coffee - 1 tsp;
• chocolate - 100 g;
• crushed almonds - 125 ml.

Cooking process:

1. Mix flour with cocoa, coffee, baking powder and sift everything.
2. Beat the whites, add sugar and add the beaten yolks to the mix.
3. Add the bulk ingredients to the egg mixture, pour in the milk and stir.
4. Pour the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 8 minutes in an oven preheated to 220 C°.
5. Place the finished cake on a damp towel, sprinkle with sugar, roll and leave for 5 minutes.
6. Whip cream with coffee and 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, add crushed chocolate and almonds.
7. Unroll the roll, apply cream and roll again.

Decorate the dish with cream, chocolate or coconut shavings, cool for 2 hours in the refrigerator, then serve.

French part

Cheese fondue, which originates from the canton of Vaud, and raclette (from the canton of Wallis) are popular throughout Switzerland. The canton of Wallis is also home to potato, apple and cheese pies.

In regions near lakes - Geneva, Neuchâtel, Biel, Zurich - fish dishes are very popular, especially whitefish, perch and trout.

Among the desserts, it is worth mentioning “ Gâteau de Vully ” (cream pie) and “ Moutarde de Bénichon ” (sweet snack) originating from the canton of Freiburg.

Papet vaudois (Leeks with sausage)

Dishes from the canton of Vaud are usually special: pork sausage, leeks and meat and potato stews. Typical are "Papet vaudois", leeks with potatoes served with Saucisson, and/or with "Saucisse au foie" and "Saucisse au chou" (liver, smoked sausage or cabbage).

Fondue

This is the most famous Swiss dish. Cheese fondue consists of melted cheese—usually Gruyère and Vacheron—with the addition of white wine and spices. It is served in a special bowl - caquelon. A serving usually serves two or more people, each dipping a piece of plain bread skewered on a special long fork with two prongs.

Cheese fondue options:

• Neuchatel: Gruyère and Emmental
• Moitié-Moitié (halved): Gruyère and Friborg vacheran
• Canton of Vaud: Gruyère
• Friborg: Friborg vacheran (often served with small boiled jacket potatoes, instead of bread)
• Central Switzerland: Gruyere, Emmental and Sbrinz (cheese)
• Appenzell: appenzeller (cheese)
• Tomato: Gruyère, emmental and crushed tomatoes, instead of wine
• Spicy: Gruyère, red/green bell peppers and chili peppers
• Mushroom: Gruyère, Friborg vacheran and mushrooms

In addition, there are other types of fondue. For example, Chinese fondue (French Fondue Chinoise ), where vegetable or mushroom broth acts as cheese. Very thinly sliced ​​raw meat and sauces are served separately. Slices of meat are dipped into boiling broth, where they are instantly boiled, and into the sauce, after which they can be eaten. At the end, the resulting meat broth in a saucepan is poured into plates and eaten.

You can also find chocolate fondue - chocolate is melted with the addition of cream, cognac and spices. Dip fruits into the resulting mixture.

Raclette (raclette)

There are two options: restaurant and regular. In a restaurant, they bring you hot potatoes in a bag, and on a plate various vegetables: gherkins, pickled onions, etc. In addition, they bring you a special device: thin pieces of meat are fried on the upper surface, and under the fryer there is a removable tray. You put cheese in this tray and insert it into the device, while the cheese melts you fry the meat. Then mix the meat with vegetables on a plate and pour melted cheese on it.

The classic version of raclette is a huge piece of cheese that melts under the influence of a heater, this melted cheese is scraped off and mixed with vegetables on a plate.

Moutarde de Bénichon

Prepared from dry mustard powder, white wine, sugar, flour, cinnamon and anise. Everything is mixed and cooked - a jam-like mass is formed. A very unusual taste.

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Cheese

The hallmark of local cuisine is undoubtedly cheese. Traditionally, Switzerland was a country of shepherds with a special way of life, with often difficult weather conditions dictating special requirements for food. Therefore, it is not surprising that since ancient times dairy products in general and cheeses in particular have been treated with special reverence. Today, there are about 150 officially registered varieties of the same cheese, and the milk is considered the best in Europe.

Moreover, production is subject to strict quality standards (special inspectors even check the number and size of holes in the cheese!), is specially supported by the government, and the best cheeses (Gruyere, Tete de Moine and Emmenthal are the most famous brands) are exported.

In addition, in Switzerland there are a lot of different holidays dedicated to dairy products and cheeses. For example, the Cheese Separation Festival (September), during which the products of different artisans are tasted, folk festivals and fairs are organized.

It's no surprise that the most famous local dishes also involve cheese. The hallmark of Swiss gastronomy is fondue, which is any dish with melted (or rather melted) cheese. To prepare it, white wine is poured into a special container, heated on a brazier or a special burner, cheese (usually Emmental and Gruyere) is melted in it and various additional ingredients are mixed in (usually potato flour and spices).

The hallmark of local cuisine is undoubtedly cheese.

Then, using a special long fork, dip pieces of bread, boiled potatoes, sausages - basically anything that comes to mind - into the resulting mixture. Often the bread is first dipped in fondue, then in wine (the same as the one used in the dish) or strong “kirsch” - this method is called “san souci”. Usually fondue is served in one pot for the whole company and is prepared right there at the table.

However, the term “fondue” in Switzerland is increasingly used to describe various dishes made using a completely different technology. For example, chicken fondue is simply stewed chicken in a creamy sauce, meat Burgundy fondue is more like boiled meat with cheese and spices, country-style fondue is simply fried meat and potatoes, which is filled with melted cheese and spices - potatoes or vegetables are also dipped in this thick mixture.

And classic chocolate fondue does not contain cheese at all - bread, fruit, cookies or waffles are simply dipped in melted chocolate, to which honey or crushed almonds are often added. However, here you can find fondue of the most unimaginable types - with blueberry puree, with fruit and even with ice cream.

Another popular cheese dish is “raclette,” which is a cheese of the same name melted in a special way, or “foam” skimmed from the surface of the melting cheese onto a preheated plate with potatoes (often in their jackets), served with crispy pickled cucumbers, onions, and vegetables. , spices and herbs.

It is also worth mentioning Swiss cheese soup with cubes of fried bread, dozens of types of salads with cheese, Swiss fried meat, which is also generously sprinkled with cheese, various sandwiches, assorted dishes and juliennes. The Swiss often make even such a seemingly simple dish as scrambled eggs differently from us - in a water bath and... that's right - with cheese!

Another cult dish is “rösti” (rösti, rösti or rœsti). Essentially, it’s just a fried flatbread made from grated boiled potatoes, strongly reminiscent of the usual potato pancakes or potato pancakes. This dish is prepared with a large amount of butter (most often butter) and also sprinkled with cheese, so it often serves either as a side dish or as a kind of fast food in combination with various sausages and herbs.

Although livestock farming in Switzerland is excellent, butter, oddly enough, is still a rare guest on the table. But a lot of milk is consumed - both drinking and various products made from it: yoghurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, sauces, and so on. There are even soups based on cottage cheese, cream, cheese or sour cream, and the fillings can be the most unexpected, including vegetables and meat.

Lucerne and Central Switzerland

Coming from Central Switzerland are Älplermagronen (pasta with potatoes, cheese, cream and fried onions), various cheese dishes, Luzerner Chügelipastete (meat pie in a large soup bowl filled with creamed meat), Eintopfgericht (thick soup) and Zuger Kirschtorte (with Kirsch - cherry vodka).

Älplermagronen

Alplermagronen (Alpine shepherd's pasta) is an economical dish made from whatever shepherds once had on hand: pasta, boiled potatoes, onions, bacon bits, and melted cheese. Traditionally, Älplermagronen is served with applesauce instead of vegetables or salad.

The components of Älplermagronen may vary depending on the region: bacon may be missing, and in the canton of Uri there are no potatoes.

Kirsch Torte (cherry cake)

considered the best from the canton of Zug. The name comes from the fact that kirsch is used in making the cake.

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Zuger Kirschtorte | Zuger kirshtort

What to try in Switzerland: TOP 10 national dishes

Zug cherry cake is Switzerland's most famous dessert. Delicate sponge cake with refreshing lemon zest, light kirsch-based buttercream, fluffy nut meringue - it’s not without reason that the delicacy has won worldwide recognition and more than a dozen international awards. The recipe was patented by Conditorei H.Höhn from Zug. Zuger Kirschtorte is included in the list of intangible heritage of Switzerland. Be sure to try dessert in the pastry shops or buy a cake in the “sweet” souvenir shop.

Italian part

In the canton of Ticino, polenta (porridge made from finely crushed corn) mixed with cheese as a main dish or side dish is very popular. Winter is the season of Heisse Marroni - roasted chestnuts. They are sold hot on the streets of the city and fill the air with a magical aroma.

Also popular are Vermicelles - sweet vermicelli made from chestnut puree.

Polenta

From time immemorial, polenta has been considered a food for the poor. It is made from corn flour and resembles porridge or hominy.

Corn appeared south of Ticino at the beginning of the 17th century. But it took another 200 years before polenta—originally made from mixed flour, and only later from cornmeal alone—became a staple dish in the area. Traditional polenta is made by stirring cornmeal into water in a large copper kettle, then stirring with a wooden spoon for 40 minutes or until it thickens enough to stick to the spoon. Then it is cooled in a round tray, cut into pieces and served on the table. Typically, polenta is used as a side dish or as an independent dish with various additives (mushrooms, meat, anchovies, etc.), fried or baked, etc. There is hard polenta (it can even be bought as a semi-finished product in stores) and soft , sweet polenta, etc.

Saffron Risotto

Saffron risotto is a typical dish from Ticino. Risotto is made from round rice and is a very thick boiled rice porridge with a unique taste.

Vermicelles

(in German: Würmchen). This cake is made from a special variety of chestnuts: they are ground, butter, syrup, kirsch and vanilla sugar are added. The resulting brownish mass is squeezed out into spaghetti, served with whipped cream and meringue, or used as part of a cake. For example, in the store you can find custard cakes with the top decorated with Vermicelles.

Since edible chestnuts grow only in the southern part of Switzerland, it is considered the birthplace of this sweet. But in different versions this cake is found throughout Switzerland.

You can buy frozen chestnut puree in stores and make your own Vermicelles.

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Golden calf

Meat dishes in Switzerland are also not complete without cheese. And white wine gives them refined notes. Cut 2 large potatoes into thin slices and soak in water for 30 minutes. Grind 700 g of veal into strips, fry until golden brown and place on a plate. In the same oil, saute the onion with 300 g of champignons. Combine them with veal, season with 1 tbsp. l. flour, a pinch of thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 30–40 minutes, add 3 tbsp. l. sour cream and simmer for another 5 minutes. Fry the dried potato slices in a large amount of oil. The duet of tender veal and crispy potatoes is perfection. However, this dish can also be served with a more familiar side dish, such as rice.

Grisons region (Romanesque part)

The Romanesque part - the canton of Graubünden - is located in eastern Switzerland. Typical dishes here are Pizokel (buckwheat noodle stew with vegetables and cheese), capuns (chard or lettuce rolls filled with noodles), Bündner Birnbrot (a thin layer of bread filled with a mixture of dried fruits, nuts and bread dough ) and Engadine Nusstorte (short pastry cake stuffed with caramelized walnuts). Also worth mentioning is Bündner Gerstensuppe - barley soup with bacon.

Bündner Gerstensuppe (Barley soup)

The most famous soup from Grisons.

Barley is one of the first cultivated crops; in addition, barley grain is easily stored and does not spoil for a long time. Therefore, barley took a strong position in cooking, and was especially indispensable for sea and military campaigns.

There are many variations of this soup in other countries.

In Graubünden, pearl barley is added to clear barley soup, followed by cubes of salted dried meat, ham and vegetables.

Pizokel

Pizokel is eaten in a wide variety of forms. In some places where they are eaten on their own, they are also known as "bizochels bluts", or "bald pizokel".

Pizzoccheri (German/retro-roman. Pizokels) are wide noodles made from a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour.

In addition to Graubünden, Pizokel is also popular in the Italian Valtellina region. Pizokel is served with vegetables (such as kale, spinach or chard) mixed with cheese and hot oil.

The original recipe for Italian Pizokels also included potato pieces, and at least 1 clove of garlic and sage were added to the hot oil.

Engadine Nusstorte

There are several different recipes for this cake, but the most famous is the cake from Engadine, a valley in the canton of Grisons. The pie filling is made from caramelized walnuts.

This cake does not come from Graubünden, but from more southern regions where walnuts grow. Gradually the recipe came here, and today it is the most popular “gift” from the canton of Grisons.

Bündner Birnbrot

For the residents of Graubünden, Christmas and New Year are unthinkable without this dish!

To make it, the dark, moist and slightly sweet nut-filled bread mass is wrapped in a thin layer of white bread. Bündner Birnbrot does not require baking and can be stored in a cool place for up to two weeks.

Cherry liqueur gives this dish a sweetish taste.

Capuns

As soon as people learned to cook, they began experimenting with foods wrapped in leaves. The Indians wrapped corn porridge in corn leaves, the Chinese wrapped meat and rice in lotus or bamboo leaves, depending on what was available. In the canton of Graubünden, such a traditional dish is Capuns - rolls of cabbage, spinach or lettuce wrapped in Swiss chard. Capuns allows you to use your imagination and create countless recipes.

Lettuce leaves are also used for wrapping. Dough or noodles with herbs are placed inside, and sometimes salted dried meat is added. After cooking, the capuns are baked with cheese and served with a sauce made from milk and broth.

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"Rhindling"

Another dish from the “baking” series is the Austrian Easter pie “Rhindling”. Some call it a cupcake, others call it a roll. In fact, as Austrian chefs say, this is a cake and a roll, so to speak, rolled into one. It is first formed into a long roll, then rolled into a circle and baked like a cake.

This is a classic pie made from traditional yeast dough. You can use completely different ingredients as filling. Austrian chefs most often put cinnamon, dried fruits, raisins, nuts and dried apricots in it.

Let's try to make the Viennese national cake for Christmas. To do this you will need the following products:

• 3.5 tbsp. spoons of sugar;
• egg;
• 17 g fresh yeast;
• 280 ml milk;
• salt;
• vanillin;
• 580 g flour.

To prepare the filling, you should take:

• 120 g sugar;
• 60 g butter;
• 60 g each of dates, nuts, dried fruits (any);
• 2 spoons of cognac.

Drinks from Switzerland

Rivella

Rivella is probably the most popular carbonated drink among all others in Switzerland. It is one of the final products of dairy production. It has a sweetish neutral taste and can only be compared with ice tee.

Apple juice

Apple juice is popular in many areas of Switzerland. In addition, it is produced in the form of cider and mineral soda with the addition of natural juice ( Apfelschorle ).

Wine

The wine is produced in many regions of Switzerland, in particular in the cantons of Valais, Ticino and the canton of Zurich.

Riesling and Sylvaner are typical white wines produced in the German-speaking parts of the country, while Chasselas

is the most common white wine in the French-speaking part.
Pinot Noir is the most popular red grape variety in both the French-speaking and German-speaking cantons, while Merlot .

Absinthe

Absinthe is brewed again in the canton of Jura in Switzerland, where it originated; Quite a long time ago, the Swiss constitution introduced a ban on the production of this product, but since 2005, absinthe has been legalized again. It is produced in Val-de-Travers and exported throughout the world. Brands like Kübler

and
La Clandestine Absinthe
, are the leaders among them.

Schnapps

Schnaps is the general name for strong (about 40 degrees) colorless alcoholic drinks, which are a distillate of various berries and fruits. Unlike vodka, schnapps has a light aroma of the original products. Popular among the German-speaking population, kirsch is also a type of schnapps.

Kirsch

Kirsch, or Kirschwasser (cherry water) is a local analogue of Russian vodka. Transparent fruit brandy with cherry aroma and strength 40 degrees. Kirsch is obtained by distilling the wort of black cherries with pits, which is why it also has a slight almond aroma. The drink is aged in glass vats, not oak barrels.

Kirsch is very popular for making cocktails: Lady Finger, Florida Cocktail, and Black Forest. In its pure form, kirsch is served chilled in small glasses as an appetizer or simply after dinner, as is done in German-speaking cantons. High-quality kirsch is also served at room temperature.

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Popular dishes in Swiss restaurants

In Switzerland, the most popular are Italian dishes: pasta, pizza, risotto. 9 out of 10 restaurants you meet on the street will be Italian. For an appetizer, there will most likely be options for green salads (arugula is the most popular) with sauce (French or Italian - with red wine). Another most common option is tomatoes with mozzarella cheese. The easiest way to find hot food is pizza or pasta. Cordon bleu, steaks and sausages are also popular. Fish products are less common due to their high cost.

The Swiss like to wash down their food with plain water - Zurich is famous for its water, which is obtained in the mountains, going down through pipes, and is suitable for consumption everywhere. You can drink water from the tap or from the numerous drinking bowls located throughout the city without fear. In addition there are French and Swiss mineral waters. You can take a glass of wine or beer. The most common desserts are apple strudel, delicate tiramisu and ice cream.

There are not many exotic restaurants - the Swiss are very patriotic people and will prefer typical Swiss food rather than overseas delicacies. In addition, a healthy lifestyle, the popularity of vegetarianism and the high cost of many products reduce the demand for, for example, quite fatty and heavy Russian cuisine. But in the city you can find both Thai restaurants and a few Chinese ones. In addition, stores sell sushi sets (but, to be honest, they are not tasty).

When choosing ice cream, one's eyes often run wide, but there is not as much presented as it seems at first glance. Around the city there are usually Mövenpik ice cream stands, in shops there are a little more. At the same time, prices are significantly higher than in Russia. The most common are vanilla and Stracciatella - ice cream with chocolate pieces, or just chocolate ice cream. It is impossible to find a regular ice cream here.

There are international cafes, such as Starbucks, where the variety of desserts is much greater.

Where to post:

You can have a romantic dinner by the lake - stores sell a large amount of take-out food, such as fruit and regular salads, with included sauces and spoons, sushi sets and sandwiches. It is allowed to drink alcoholic drinks in public places, so in the evenings young people gather on the embankment to have fun and drink beer.

In addition, grilled meat and sausages are very popular. Grilling is generally an integral part of the life of a respectable Swiss: many have a grill on their balcony, and all outings (corporate or friendly) are accompanied by grilling. TOP

Filet de Perches | Filet de perche

What to try in Switzerland: TOP 10 national dishes

This dish is a must try in Geneva. Filet de Perches – tender fillet of small perch. The fish are not grown artificially, but are caught in Lake Geneva using nets. The bones are completely removed from the fresh “harvest”. The fish is dipped in a sauce of melted butter, white wine and lemon juice, and then grilled. The traditional side dish for filet de perche is golden-brown potatoes, juicy fresh vegetables, and butter pate. It is customary to drink perch with Swiss wine, on the basis of which the chef prepared the sauce.