Swiss cuisine

The Swiss cuisine combines influences from the German, French and northern Italian cuisine. However, it is regionally very different, the language regions offer a kind of coarse division. Many courts, however, have exceeded the local boundaries and are popular all over Switzerland.

• 2.1 Meat specialties
• 2.2 confectionery and bakery products
• 2.3 wines and beers
• 2.4 Coffee
• 2.5 cheese
• 2.6 bread

Regional distribution

Romandie

From the French-speaking Switzerland originate cheese fondue and raclette ( Canton of Valais ), which are now popular all over Switzerland. Also from the Valais comes a kind of vegetable cake as from potatoes, apples and cheese, the recipe said to have been developed out of necessity during a cholera epidemic and therefore cholera ( cholera cake ) is called.

In the area of Lake Geneva, Lake Neuchâtel and Biel fish dishes are very popular, especially whitefish, perch and trout.

Popular throughout the French-speaking different primarily made ​​from pork sausages cooking for himself, which are sold under the name saucisson and are either poached or simmered vegetables. Lake Bienne cooked in the combustion boiler Saucissons be offered as Treberwurst.

At the desserts Gâteau du Vully ( " Nidlechueche ") and the Bénichon mustard are especially to be mentioned, which have their origin both in the Canton of Fribourg.

Appenzell

A specialty is the Appenzeller Biber, a picture Gingerbread which is pressed into a wooden mold before baking. Also known are the Appenzeller cheese, Appenzeller cheese cakes, the Appenzeller Siedwürste and Mostbröckli. Its specialty is in the area of ​​beverage of the Appenzell Alps Bitter and the Appenzeller Beer apply Quöllfrisch. As more drinks Flauder, Wonder and Himml come from the Appenzell region.

St. Gallen

From St. Gallen comes the Olma Bratwurst, the name is derived from the Ostschweizerische Agriculture and Dairy Industry Exhibition. Also known is the St. Gallen Schüblig also a sausage. Furthermore, it is eaten in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley ribel, a kind of porridge of maize, which is both sweet and salty prepared. As in neighboring Appenzell, the beaver is well known in St. Gallen. In addition, particular in Fürstenlandstrasse the almond fish a known specialty.

Canton of Bern

Bern controls for the hearty Swiss cuisine Bernerplatte at, as well as the dessert meringue, usually with whipped cream (whipped cream ) served. For Zibelemärit part of the traditional Zibelechueche. The Bernese Gingerbread distinguished in that it is made with hazelnuts. Is also made ​​with hazelnuts the sweet pastries Meitschibei.

Canton of Basel

The famous Basel Basel flour soup dishes are, Cheese flan ( a flat cake with cheese and onions) and Fasnachtskiechli, all of which are traditionally served at the carnival, suuri Lääberli (acidic, veal, liver) and Basel as dessert treat.

Region Zurich

The Zurich specialty is veal, Zurich, veal, veal kidneys and mushrooms in a cream sauce, plus there are hash browns. Also from Zurich comes from the Swiss physician Maximilian Oskar Bircher -Benner developed in 1900 and is now world famous muesli. Nearly extinct are the Zurich Läckerli, which consist of an almond or nut mixture. At Christmas time there are in the Zurich Tirggel, a dry honey cake that is baked in special molds images.

Central Switzerland

From the Central Switzerland originate Älplermagronen ( macaroni, potatoes, cheese, cream and fried onions ), various cheese dishes, the Lucerne Chügelipastete ( a pie stuffed with forcemeat dumplings in a white sauce), stews as Hafenchabis and Stunggis and Zug cherry ( with cherry and not with cherries ).

Southern Switzerland

From the Ticino polenta, a cut-resistant maize porridge, has there mixed with cheese as a main dish or side dish tradition, also the chestnuts ( chestnuts ), the cooked either roasted in the whole of Switzerland in the winter months, sold hot on the roadside or as vermicelli (coming and sugared and then spaghetti -like through a press pass done ) are served for dessert.

Grisons

Typical Grisons dishes are Pizzoccheri ( a stew made of buckwheat noodles with mixed vegetables and cheese), capuns ( rolls of chard or romaine lettuce, filled with Spätzle ), Maluns, pizokels, Chur meat pie, the Birnbrot ( a thin layer of dough filled with a mixture of parched fruit, nuts and bread dough ) and the nut tart. Not to be forgotten is the Grisons barley soup ( with bacon ) and Plain in Pigna (a kind of hash browns with bacon and sausage).

Breakdown by products

Meat specialties

Specialties that can only be produced in mountain climate, are the Valais dried meat and dried beef and air-dried raw ham. From Eastern Switzerland Mostbröckli, smoked and flavored with fermented apple juice beef or horse meat comes from. In the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland north one finds the Schüblig, a hearty sausage.

Sweet and bakery

Switzerland has a long tradition in the field of confectionery and chocolate manufacture. The German -speaking Switzerland rather prefer milk chocolate and the French-speaking Switzerland rather the dark chocolate. Traditional Swiss chocolate has mostly tabular form.

Typical pastries are Nidelfladen and the tart / cake / Thin / cakes / Gateau, which are both sweet and salty prepared, a thin short crust or puff pastry that is baked with fruit or vegetables and an egg cast. Regional specialties are the Swiss Aargau carrot cake ( carrot cake ) or the Zug cherry. Warning: Swiss cheese cake is not sweet but salty: a tart with no vegetables or fruits, with cheese and egg cast, in which often are still chopped onions.

Wines and beers

In Switzerland, some high quality wines are produced, which hardly come but in the export. Apart from Appenzell Innerrhoden and Uri, there is in each canton vineyards. In German-speaking Switzerland and beer is a popular drink, the Swiss lager is less hoppy than the German Pilsner.

Coffee

Another typical drink is milk coffee, half milk and half coffee, which is part of the breakfast, but can also be served in the evening to hash browns. At other times, the coffee is often made in restaurants and almost always at home with an espresso machine, very small ( ristretto ), small ( espresso), as well as larger cups of coffee with cream ( with coffee cream or gold shell with milk) are available. The typical Swiss Espresso has about 50 ml.

See also List of Swiss coffee specialties

Cheese

Of course, the Swiss cheese to Swiss cuisine include: in Switzerland the most popular is the Gruyere (or Gruyère) from the Vaud Alps or from Freiburg, there are variations in mild and recent ( strong ). Second Emmentaler comes with large holes, which is produced in huge loaves. The central Switzerland and the Bernese mountain cheese Sbrinz belong to the extra-hard cheeses that are grated sprinkled over food or eaten in very thin slices shaved. A specialty cheese from the Jura region of Tête de Moine ( monk's head ), so called because the cylindrical loaf above the bark is removed, after which it is planed from top to bottom with a Girolle rosettes. From the French-speaking Switzerland is the Vacherin, a extant soft cheese. The Appenzeller cheese is particularly spicy, as he rubbed the tire with a Sulz from wine, herbs and spices.

Bread

Switzerland has countless breads and even smaller bakeries usually offer a dozen of them. In the French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland and white breads are preferred, in German-speaking Switzerland rather brown bread, which is mostly made ​​with yeast. Known types of bread that are widely available today, the crispy Basel bread into oblong loaves, the round St. Gallen bread, the Ticino bread with oil additive, the Lucerne Weggen ( sourdough bread), the long-lasting, very dark Valais rye bread with sourdough and the Züpfe ( Bern German ) or Butterzopf, a bright Zopfbrot of lightly salted butter yeast dough that is usually eaten on Sunday. In German-speaking Switzerland is the most widely Ruchbrot in regional variants of the mixed bread. Swiss bread is much shorter shelf life than German bread, because it is produced is usually not with the leaven, but with yeast. Due to this, also explains the fact that Swiss bread loaves are noticeably smaller than German.

Database

An overview of the traditional cuisine of Switzerland gives the database Culinary Heritage of Switzerland.