Swiss cuisine recipes. National dishes of Switzerland: a list with recipes

Swiss cuisine has emerged as a result of a complex, long and contradictory development under the influence of many peoples living in the country. The influence of French, Italian and German culinary traditions is especially pronounced here. Although it is now difficult to say which people are "responsible" for this or that dish, but the common features can be traced quite clearly - the famous "fondue" and "raclette" clearly have their roots in the French part of Switzerland, excellent sausages and "röshti" were brought here by German peoples, dried fish and beef were clearly "presented" by the eastern cantons, while in the southern regions it is difficult not to see the "dominance" of Italian dishes. At the same time, the Swiss themselves are very traditional in their preferences and carefully preserve the old recipes of this land - often very simple, but hearty and tasty.

It is characteristic that a special organization operates in the country under the Federal Office of Agriculture, which certifies original Swiss products and monitors the thoroughness of compliance with the recipes for their preparation. The prestigious IGP (Regional Mark of Quality) or AOC (Product Controlled Designation with Designation of Origin) title is given to the famous Welsh rye bread and cheese raclette, cured meat from Graubünden, sausages from Vaud, bratwurst pork sausages from St. Gallen and many other "truly folk" products.

The main ingredients of the local cuisine are milk, butter, cheese, flour, eggs, vegetables of all kinds, meat, herbs and spices. Moreover, the Swiss very harmoniously combine simple "folk" ingredients (of the highest quality, however) and recipes with modern cooking methods and health care - in terms of the latter parameter, this cuisine is in no way inferior to French or Italian, although it is known much less than them.

The most common breakfast in Switzerland still consists of a slice of bread with a piece of cheese and coffee with milk. Lunch is just as simple, but dinner is hearty and usually consists of more varied dishes.

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, polenta, which has already become international, is widely used as an everyday dish, which is made here from coarse corn flour with the addition of processed cheese, liver and other meat products. However, in recent years, globalization has also penetrated here, and now in all major resort areas you can find a menu with absolutely any set of dishes.

Cheese

The hallmark of local cuisine is, of course, cheese. Traditionally, Switzerland has been a country of shepherds with their special way of life, and often difficult weather conditions dictated special requirements for food. Therefore, it is not surprising that milk products in general and cheeses in particular have been treated here with special reverence since ancient times. To date, only officially registered varieties of the same cheese, there are about 150, and 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!), 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 all kinds of holidays dedicated to dairy products and cheeses. For example, the Cheese Sharing Festival (September), during which products of different masters are tasted, folklore festivals and fairs are organized.

Not surprisingly, the most famous local dishes are also associated with cheese. The hallmark of Swiss gastronomy is fondue, which is any dish with melted (rather melted) cheese. To prepare it, white wine is poured into a special dish, heated on a brazier or a special burner, cheese is melted in it (usually Emmental and Gruyere) and various additional ingredients are mixed in (usually potato flour and spices). Then, with the help of a special long fork, slices of bread, boiled potatoes, sausages are dipped into the resulting mixture - by and large, everything that comes to mind. Often the bread is first dipped in fondue, then in wine (the same that was used in the dish) or strong "kirsch" - this method is called "sans-souci". Usually fondue is served with one pot for the whole company and is prepared right there, at the table.

However, the term "fondue" in Switzerland is increasingly used to refer to various dishes made using a completely different technology. For example, chicken fondue is just chicken stew in a creamy sauce, meat Burgundy fondue is more like boiled meat with cheese and spices, rustic fondue is just fried meat with potatoes, which is poured with melted cheese and spices - potatoes or vegetables are also dipped in this thick mixture. And the classic chocolate fondue does not contain cheese at all - bread, fruits, cookies or waffles are simply dipped in melted chocolate, to which honey or crushed almonds are often added. However, here you can find the most unimaginable types of fondue - with blueberry puree, with fruits and even with ice cream.

Another popular cheese dish is "raclette", which is a specially melted cheese of the same name, or "foam" removed from the surface of melting cheese onto a preheated plate with potatoes (often in uniform), served with crispy pickled cucumbers, onions, vegetables , spices and herbs.

It is also worth mentioning the 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 and juliennes. Even such a seemingly simple dish as scrambled eggs, the Swiss often do it differently than we do - in a water bath and ... right - with cheese!

Another cult dish is "rösti" (rösti, rösti or rœsti). In fact, this is just a fried flatbread made from grated boiled potatoes, strongly reminiscent of our usual potato pancakes or potato pancakes. This dish is prepared with a lot 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 animal husbandry is excellently developed in Switzerland, oil, oddly enough, is still a rare guest on the table. But a lot of milk is consumed - both drinking and various products from it: yoghurts, sour cream, cottage cheese, sauces and so on. There are even soups based on cottage cheese, cream, cheese or sour cream, and the fillers can be the most unexpected, up to vegetables and meat.

Meat dishes

It is usually believed that the range of meat products in Switzerland is rather modest and comes down to a couple of dozen types of hunting and hard-smoked sausages, almost identical to German ones, and to endless variations on the schnitzel theme. However, in reality this is far from being the case - a well-developed animal husbandry supplies a huge amount of meat of all kinds to the local table. It's just that the national diversity is also manifested here - in the southern and western cantons they tend more towards chopped and chopped meat, but in the north typical German sausages, blood or liver sausages can be found everywhere. The same sausages and smoked meats are an indispensable element of fast food - anywhere you can find street stalls selling 2-3 types of fried sausages with mustard and a simple side dish like flatbread, rösti or cheese. In the south, Mediterranean cuisine reigns with its wealth of options and methods of cooking all the same sausages, but again - with local flavor.

Everywhere they prefer a rather simple recipe for meat dishes, but an exquisite serving. One of Zurich's favorite dishes, Zuerich Geschnetzeltes, is simply narrow strips of veal fried in oil with sauce, mushrooms and herbs, served with rösti and a glass of red wine. Good raw-smoked sausages "brivyurst" and "brauwurst" (an indispensable ingredient in sandwiches), "engadinervyurst" (an important element of the thick soup of the same name), fried beef or pork with green beans or sauerkraut - "bernes platter", spicy sausages "knakerli" ( made from three types of meat with spices and sauce), smoked beef or pork in French style, beef jerky "bundenflaisch" with salted onions, smoked sausages "landjager" or "leberwurst" from liver and lard, pork feet "pied-de-porc ", sausage salad with vegetables and cheese, puff pastry "kreppli" with various fillings - from meat and cheese to herbs and greens, literally hundreds of simple country liver dishes, as well as many other excellent products.

A large number of different sauces, often very exotic, herbs and spices, are necessarily served on the table. But the choice of side dishes is quite simple and often directly depends on the region - cabbage and beans in the north, pasta and polenta in the south, vegetables in the west. Only fried bread and potatoes in all forms are an indispensable element throughout the country. Although the locals consume frankly little bread as such.

It is not surprising that in the country of rivers and lakes, many excellent fish dishes are prepared, primarily local trout.

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. Nevertheless, it was this country that became 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 how to get solid milk chocolate in the form of bars. Now several hundred types of first-class chocolate are produced here - both factory-made and hand-made. This is one of the most popular ingredients in many local desserts, and an excellent "souvenir". And the Swiss themselves consume this product the most in the world - according to some estimates, more than 12 kilograms per year per capita.

At the same time, more traditional dishes are still considered favorite desserts inside the country - all kinds of sweets, sugar buns and spicy honey gingerbread "lekerli", Basel gingerbread, puff pies "zuger-kirstorte", all kinds of pies "kyuchli", almond-chocolate cookies "brunsli". "(considered the hallmark of Basel), various buns, rolls, muffins, shortbreads and so on. Interestingly, even the world-famous muesli was also invented in Switzerland - at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner (one of the founders of modern dietology, by the way) simply dried a simple folk dish (practically - porridge made from rolled oats and wheat flakes ), added raisins, nuts and apples - and got exactly the product that is now consumed in enormous quantities throughout the planet.

Beverages

By and large, soft drinks in Switzerland are exactly the same as in any other country in Western Europe. Only very strong coffee "ristretto" somehow stands out from the general outline "juice-tea-mineral water", but you can easily find analogues in Italy or Austria. Yes, and hot chocolate, which is not surprising, is consumed much more than in neighboring countries.

However, many foreigners note that the Swiss drink much more beer than soft drinks, but this is most likely an exaggeration. Local beer is really of excellent quality - both lager and dark, besides, it has important advantages - relative cheapness and an abundance of excellent breweries. Interestingly, Samichlaus brand beer (the Swiss name for Santa Claus) is considered one of the strongest in the world (up to 14%), although now it is already brewed in Austria - the Zurich company Hürlimann Brewery closed in 1997.

Despite the proximity to the countries - the leading importers of wine, Switzerland itself has an excellent wine industry. According to statistics, each citizen of the confederation has about 50 liters of it per year (and this is not counting the fondue and other national dishes used in the preparation), and only 2% of the wines produced in the country are exported. At the same time, many varieties are produced literally in scanty quantities - but of excellent quality, and there are many winemakers themselves - each with their own traditions, recipes and brands.

However, you will hardly find semi-sweet wines here - only dry ones, and white varieties are noticeably superior in quality to red and pink ones. All wine is divided into three categories: the highest (indicated by the label AOC or Grand Cru with the name of the region of production), local wine (Vin de Pays, the region is also indicated) and ordinary table wines without indicating origin. In Ticino, the classification is somewhat different - Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC, the best wines produced in limited quantities), Vino da tavola (also Nostrano svizzero or Della svizzera italiana - vintage wines), Vino rosso or Vino bianco (ordinary wines and blends), and also VITI (the best wines of "old varieties", are quite rare).

You should definitely try white Fendant, red Dôle and rose Oeil de Perdrix from the canton of Valais (the country's largest wine region), magnificent wines from the coast of Lake Geneva (canton of Vaud, here are the real centers of Swiss winemaking - the Lavaux, Chablais, La Cote and Nord regions -Vo) and the canton of Geneva itself, Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir from the canton of Zurich, as well as Blauburgunder and Riesling Sylvaner from northern Schaffhausen.

Of the stronger drinks, cherry vodka "Kirsch" (Kirsch, Kirschwasser, by and large closer to brandy), plum brandy "pflumli" (Pflumli), pear brandy "Williams" (Williams), or "Williamin", and others, are popular, " more standard drinks.

Swiss cuisine is a fragrant mixture of German, French and Italian cuisines. Most restaurants and hotel canteens offer a wide variety of international dishes on the menu. It takes effort to find a restaurant with local cuisine.

If you manage to visit Switzerland, be sure to take the opportunity to try the colorful local cuisine, often borrowed, with the introduction of your local northern flavor.

Swiss cheese
Cheese making is part of the Swiss heritage. On the territory of modern Switzerland, cattle breeding and dairy farming have always been accepted, concentrated in the highlands of the country. Today, more than 100 varieties of this product are produced here. However, there is no mass production here, everything is prepared in hundreds of small, tightly controlled dairy plants, each of which is under the supervision of a master cheesemaker, with a federal degree.

Cheese with holes, known as Swiss or Emmental, has become widespread, despite the fact that it was originally produced in the Emme Valley. Then no one thought about how to protect the name for the cheeses of this area. Other famous cheeses are called Gruyère, Appenzell, Raclette, Royal and Schabziger. The names of some varieties were also copied, for example Sbrinz and Spalen are closely related to the ancient Roman name Helvetian ( caseus helveticus).

Fondue

Cheese fondue, which consists of Emmental and Gruère, used alone, together or with special local cheeses, which are melted in white wine flavored with garlic and lemon juice. Freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, red pepper and kirsch are added to the dish. Traditional local spices are often added as well. Guests surround a bubbling fondue cup and use long forks to dip cubes of bread into the hot mixture. Instead of bread, apples, pears, grapes, sausages, cubes of boiled ham, shrimp, pitted olives, and small pieces of boiled potatoes can be used.

Raclette

Almost as well known as fondue. Popular for many centuries, its origin is lost in antiquity, but the word "raclette" comes from the French word racler, which means "scrape". The name raclette originally belonged to a dish made from the special Valais mountain cheese, but today this is the name not only for the dish itself, but also for cheeses suitable for melting on an open fire or in the oven.

A piece of cheese (traditionally half to a quarter of a wheel of raclette) is held over an open fire. As soon as it begins to soften, it is scraped off onto a plate with a special knife. The unique aroma and taste are most revealed when hot. The classic accompaniment is fresh, crispy, homemade brown bread, but raclette can also be eaten with jacketed boiled potatoes, pickled onions, cucumbers, or small corncobs. Usually raclette is eaten with a fork, sometimes a knife may be needed for this.

Other Swiss cuisine

The country's ubiquitous vegetable dish, called röchti or rosti (brown potatoes). The potatoes are baked in the oven along with the cheese, which melts and turns golden brown.

Spaetzle (a local variety of dumplings) is also offered on the menu of Swiss cafes.

Lake fish in Switzerland is attractive, but expensive. The most delicious fish of the alpine lakes is, of course, trout and small perches.

Hard sausages are very popular in Switzerland. They can be bought in all open markets. The best-known type is bündnerfleisch, a specially prepared dried beef.

Berner Platte is a classic Swiss cuisine. If you order this typical farm food, get a huge plate with a pile of sauerkraut or green beans topped with a piece of meat, sausages, ham, bacon or pork chops.

In addition to cheese fondue, you can enjoy bourguignonne fondue, popular all over the world. It consists of pieces of meat on wooden sticks, cooked in oil, seasoned with sauces of your choice. In addition, many establishments offer chinoise fondue, made from thin slices of beef and oriental sauces.

Typical recipes from the Canton of Ticino include mushroom risotto and a mixed grill known as fritto misto. Cornmeal polenta is popular as a side dish. Ticino is also prepared from river fish, such as trout or pike. Pizza and pasta have also spread to all the provinces of Switzerland.

Salads often combine fresh lettuce and boiled vegetables such as beets. If you want to try a real Swiss salad, ask for a zwiebelsalat dish made with lettuce and onions. In the spring, the Swiss love fresh asparagus so much that the police are forced to increase night patrols to reduce the theft of asparagus from the fields.

The glory of Swiss cuisine is the small cakes and pastries that are served throughout the country in teahouses and cafes. The most common delicacy is the muffin-shaped cupcake and traditionally a big cake filled with whipped cream.

chocolate superpower

Cocoa beans are the main ingredient in chocolate. Columbus brought cocoa beans to Europe in 1502 from Nicaragua. Royal chefs mixed bean powder with sugar and hot water, which was a great success with the royal family. In the nineteenth century, attitudes towards cocoa in North America and Europe differed greatly.

In 1825, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a well-known culinary specialist from the French-speaking world, declared that chocolate is one of the most effective foods for increasing physical and intellectual strength. In contrast, Harriet Beecher Stowe declared chocolate unfit for American cooking. Despite Ms. Stowe's attacks, the chocolate market continues to grow. This fact was immediately noticed by the wary Swiss from their politically neutral bastion in the Alps.

Since the early 1800s, the Swiss have invested heavily in the cocoa market. Industrial pioneers opened the country's first chocolate factory in Corsier, near Vevey. The transnational concern Suchard was established in 1824 near Neuchâtel. In 1875, Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate by adding condensed milk to cocoa powder and sugar. In 1879, the first chocolate bar was created. In 1899, the Sprungli and Lindt empires merged in Zurich to form the chocolate dynasty. Shortly thereafter, the Toblerone and Nestle organizations were formed.

Today Switzerland is the world's largest chocolate producer. Secrecy and precision have always been among the Swiss virtues, and both are essential during the complex blending process that transforms raw ingredients into the final product. Consumers constantly expect new works of art from their chocolate wrappers, which is why an army of commercial artists work year-round to meet the needs of the market.

The Swiss consume more chocolate per capita than any other country in the world. No self-respecting mountaineer will go up the mountains without chocolate bars. Housewives usually do not buy less than a kilo of chocolate at a time. Therefore, this product can also be attributed to traditional Swiss cuisine.

Beverages

White wine is the best choice to drink with fondue. There are few restrictions on the sale of alcohol here, but prices for bourbon, gin and whiskey tend to be much higher than in the United States. The local wines are excellent. Unlike French ones, they taste better when they have a short exposure. Many drinks are produced exclusively for local consumption. Most of the wines produced in Switzerland are white, but there are good rosés and aromatic reds.

The most exported wines are produced in Valais, Ticino and Sealand. There are more than 300 small wine-growing regions here. In the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Fendant and Johannisberg are considered the best wines. In the German-speaking part, you can try several dry and light red wines - Stammheimer, Klevner and Hallauer. In Italian - red merlot with a pleasant bouquet.

Beer
Swiss beer is the drink of choice in the German-speaking part of the country. The most common are pale Helles and dark Dunkles.

Liqueurs
The liqueurs here are delicious and very strong. The most popular are Kirsch (a national liquor made from cherry-pit juice) and Plum (plum liqueur). Williamina pear brandy is made from fragrant Williams pears. In Ticino, most of the locals love the fire brandy Grappa, distilled from the waste of the grape pressing process.

In principle, this is the main thing you can learn about Swiss cuisine. Although, of course, it’s better not to read about it, but to try it yourself, because eating through the monitor, unfortunately, will not work.

Swiss cuisine has emerged as a result of a complex, long and contradictory development under the influence of many peoples living in the country.

The influence of French, Italian and German culinary traditions is especially pronounced here. Although it is now difficult to say which people are "responsible" for this or that dish, but the common features can be traced quite clearly - the famous "fondue" and "raclette" clearly have their roots in the French part of Switzerland, excellent sausages and "röshti" were brought here by German peoples, dried fish and beef were clearly "presented" by the eastern cantons, while in the southern regions it is difficult not to see the "dominance" of Italian dishes. At the same time, the Swiss themselves are very traditional in their preferences and carefully preserve the old recipes of this land - often very simple, but hearty and tasty.

Swiss cuisine recipes. Dishes for the holidays. National New Year's recipes.

First meal:

• Potato soup
• Swiss soup with cheese
• Dried trepang and duck soup
• Potato soup with trepangs and smoked brisket
• Shrimp soup
• Rice soup with mussels
• Summer soup with mussels or squid
• Rice soup with tomatoes and scallop
• Rice soup with crabs
• Swiss barley soup
• Liver soup
• Bean soup

Main dishes:

Cheese schnitzel

It is characteristic that a special organization operates in the country under the Federal Office of Agriculture, which certifies original Swiss products and monitors the thoroughness of compliance with the recipes for their preparation. The prestigious title of IGP (Regional Quality Mark) or AOC (Controlled Product Name with Designation of Production) is given to the famous Welsh rye bread and cheese "raclette", cured meat from

Graubünden, sausages from Vaud, bratwurst pork sausages from St. Gallen and many other "true folk" products.

The main ingredients of the local cuisine are milk, butter, cheese, flour, eggs, vegetables of all kinds, meat, herbs and spices. Moreover, the Swiss very harmoniously combine simple "folk" ingredients (of the highest quality, however) and recipes with modern cooking methods and health care - in terms of the latter parameter, this cuisine is in no way inferior to French or Italian, although it is known much less than them.

The most common breakfast in Switzerland still consists of a slice of bread with a piece of cheese and coffee with milk. Lunch is just as simple, but dinner is hearty and usually consists of more varied dishes.

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, polenta, which has already become international, is widely used as an everyday dish, which is made here from coarse corn flour with the addition of processed cheese, liver and other meat products. However, in recent years, globalization has also penetrated here, and now in all major resort areas you can find a menu with absolutely any set of dishes.

The hallmark of local cuisine is, of course, cheese. Traditionally, Switzerland has been a country of shepherds with their special way of life, and often difficult weather conditions dictated special requirements for food. Therefore, it is not surprising that milk products in general and cheeses in particular have been treated here with special reverence since ancient times. To date, only officially registered varieties of the same cheese, there are about 150, and 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!), 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 all kinds of holidays dedicated to dairy products and cheeses. For example, the Cheese Sharing Festival (September), during which products of different masters are tasted, folklore festivals and fairs are organized.

Not surprisingly, the most famous local dishes are also associated with cheese. The hallmark of Swiss gastronomy is fondue, which is any dish with melted (rather melted) cheese. To prepare it, white wine is poured into a special dish, heated on a brazier or a special burner, cheese is melted in it (usually Emmental and Gruyere) and various additional ingredients are mixed in (usually potato flour and spices). Then, with the help of a special long fork, slices of bread, boiled potatoes, sausages are dipped into the resulting mixture - by and large, everything that comes to mind. Often the bread is first dipped in fondue, then in wine (the same that was used in the dish) or strong "kirsch" - this method is called "sans-souci". Usually fondue is served with one pot for the whole company and is prepared right there, at the table.

However, the term "fondue" in Switzerland is increasingly used to refer to various dishes made using a completely different technology. For example, chicken fondue is just chicken stew in a creamy sauce, meat Burgundy fondue is more like boiled meat with cheese and spices, rustic fondue is just fried meat with potatoes, which is poured with melted cheese and spices - potatoes or vegetables are also dipped in this thick mixture. And the classic chocolate fondue does not contain cheese at all - bread, fruits, cookies or waffles are simply dipped in melted chocolate, to which honey or crushed almonds are often added. However, here you can find the most unimaginable types of fondue - with blueberry puree, with fruits and even with ice cream.

Another popular cheese dish is "raclette", which is a specially melted cheese of the same name, or "foam" removed from the surface of melting cheese onto a preheated plate with potatoes (often in uniform), served with crispy pickled cucumbers, onions, vegetables , spices and herbs.

It is also worth mentioning the 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 and juliennes. Even such a seemingly simple dish as scrambled eggs, the Swiss often do it differently than we do - in a water bath and ... right - with cheese!

Another cult dish is "rösti" (rösti, rösti or rœsti). In fact, this is just a fried flatbread made from grated boiled potatoes, strongly reminiscent of our usual potato pancakes or potato pancakes. This dish is prepared with a lot 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 animal husbandry is excellently developed in Switzerland, oil, oddly enough, is still a rare guest on the table. But a lot of milk is consumed - both drinking and various products from it: yoghurts, sour cream, cottage cheese, sauces and so on. There are even soups based on cottage cheese, cream, cheese or sour cream, and the fillers can be the most unexpected, up to vegetables and meat.

Meat dishes

It is usually believed that the range of meat products in Switzerland is rather modest and comes down to a couple of dozen types of hunting and hard-smoked sausages, almost identical to German ones, and to endless variations on the schnitzel theme. However, in reality this is far from being the case - a well-developed animal husbandry supplies a huge amount of meat of all kinds to the local table. It's just that the national diversity is also manifested here - in the southern and western cantons they tend more towards chopped and chopped meat, but in the north typical German sausages, blood or liver sausages can be found everywhere. The same sausages and smoked meats are an indispensable element of fast food - anywhere you can find street stalls selling 2-3 types of fried sausages with mustard and a simple side dish like flatbread, rösti or cheese. In the south, Mediterranean cuisine reigns with its wealth of options and methods of cooking all the same sausages, but again - with local flavor.

Everywhere they prefer a rather simple recipe for meat dishes, but an exquisite serving. One of Zurich's favorite dishes, Zuerich Geschnetzeltes, is simply narrow strips of veal fried in oil with sauce, mushrooms and herbs, served with rösti and a glass of red wine. Good raw-smoked sausages "brivyurst" and "brauwurst" (an indispensable ingredient in sandwiches), "engadinervyurst" (an important element of the thick soup of the same name), fried beef or pork with green beans or sauerkraut - "bernes platter", spicy sausages "knakerli" ( made from three types of meat with spices and sauce), smoked beef or pork in French style, beef jerky "bundenflaisch" with salted onions, smoked sausages "landjager" or "leberwurst" from liver and lard, pork feet "pied-de-porc ", sausage salad with vegetables and cheese, puff pastry "kreppli" with various fillings - from meat and cheese to herbs and greens, literally hundreds of simple country liver dishes, as well as many other excellent products.

A large number of different sauces, often very exotic, herbs and spices, are necessarily served on the table. But the choice of side dishes is quite simple and often directly depends on the region - cabbage and beans in the north, pasta and polenta in the south, vegetables in the west. Only fried bread and potatoes in all forms are an indispensable element throughout the country. Although the locals consume frankly little bread as such.

It is not surprising that in the country of rivers and lakes, many excellent fish dishes are prepared, primarily local trout.

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. Nevertheless, it was this country that became 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 how to get solid milk chocolate in the form of bars. Now several hundred types of first-class chocolate are produced here - both factory-made and hand-made. This is one of the most popular ingredients in many local desserts, and an excellent "souvenir". And the Swiss themselves consume this product the most in the world - according to some estimates, more than 12 kilograms per year per capita.

At the same time, more traditional dishes are still considered favorite desserts inside the country - all kinds of sweets, sugar buns and spicy honey gingerbread "lekerli", Basel gingerbread, puff pies "zuger-kirstorte", all kinds of pies "kyuchli", almond-chocolate cookies "brunsli". "(considered the hallmark of Basel), various buns, rolls, muffins, shortbreads and so on. Interestingly, even the world-famous muesli was also invented in Switzerland - at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner (one of the founders of modern dietology, by the way) simply dried a simple folk dish (practically - porridge made from rolled oats and wheat flakes ), added raisins, nuts and apples - and got exactly the product that is now consumed in enormous quantities throughout the planet.

Beverages

By and large, soft drinks in Switzerland are exactly the same as in any other country in Western Europe. Only very strong coffee "ristretto" somehow stands out from the general outline "juice-tea-mineral water", but you can easily find analogues in Italy or Austria. Yes, and hot chocolate, which is not surprising, is consumed much more than in neighboring countries.

However, many foreigners note that the Swiss drink much more beer than soft drinks, but this is most likely an exaggeration. Local beer is really of excellent quality - both lager and dark, besides, it has important advantages - relative cheapness and an abundance of excellent breweries. Interestingly, Samichlaus brand beer (the Swiss name for Santa Claus) is considered one of the strongest in the world (up to 14%), although now it is already brewed in Austria - the Zurich company Hürlimann Brewery closed in 1997.

Despite the proximity to the countries - the leading importers of wine, Switzerland itself has an excellent wine industry. According to statistics, each citizen of the confederation has about 50 liters of it per year (and this is not counting the fondue and other national dishes used in the preparation), and only 2% of the wines produced in the country are exported. At the same time, many varieties are produced literally in scanty quantities - but of excellent quality, and there are many winemakers themselves - each with their own traditions, recipes and brands.

However, you will hardly find semi-sweet wines here - only dry ones, and white varieties are noticeably superior in quality to red and pink ones. All wine is divided into three categories: the highest (indicated by the label AOC or Grand Cru with the name of the region of production), local wine (Vin de Pays, the region is also indicated) and ordinary table wines without indicating origin. In Ticino, the classification is somewhat different - Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC, the best wines produced in limited quantities), Vino da tavola (also Nostrano svizzero or Della svizzera italiana - vintage wines), Vino rosso or Vino bianco (ordinary wines and blends), and also VITI (the best wines of "old varieties", are quite rare).

You should definitely try white Fendant, red Dôle and rose Oeil de Perdrix from the canton of Valais (the country's largest wine region), magnificent wines from the coast of Lake Geneva (canton of Vaud, here are the real centers of Swiss winemaking - the Lavaux, Chablais, La Cote and Nord regions -Vo) and the canton of Geneva itself, Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir from the canton of Zurich, as well as Blauburgunder and Riesling Sylvaner from northern Schaffhausen.

Of the stronger drinks, cherry vodka "Kirsch" (Kirsch, Kirschwasser, by and large closer to brandy), plum brandy "pflumli" (Pflumli), pear brandy "Williams" (Williams), or "Williamin", and others, are popular, " more standard drinks.

To make cheese fondue at home? What secrets do you need to know in order to choose the best set?

Let's say right away: even the classic version of the dish is a real work of art that has its own cooking features. We will tell you about them. (Portal "Switzerland Business")

The most delicate Swiss cheese, lazily melted over a slow fire ... Such a pleasure will not leave indifferent even the most fastidious gourmet!

It is not surprising that Swiss fondue has earned itself a worldwide reputation: today the national dish of Switzerland is preferred to feast on in all corners of the world. Reviews are always laudatory!

However, preparing it is not an easy task. It is not enough just to melt a piece of cheese over low heat and dip the bread crust into it.

As you have already noticed, we started the story with just one type - cheese fondue. In addition to it, there are also others:

• chocolate fondue and
• fondue chinoise.

You can talk about each of them without stopping for hours. However, in order to keep the topic of the article clear, within the framework of this material, we will only touch on the history and cheese fondue recipes.

History of occurrence

Name " fondue"comes from the French word" fondue”, which translates as “melted” or “molten”. The history of its origin originates 7 centuries ago in.

There are at least 2 theories of the origin of the Swiss national dish.

An invention of the Swiss shepherds?

Going to work in the snow, Swiss shepherds took with them the most satisfying and common foods - bread and cheese. There was also always wine to warm up from the cold (well, you understand! 🙂).

Once, in an attempt to give some flavor to the hardened cheese, they decided to melt it in a saucepan over a fire with the addition of wine. Bread crusts were dipped into the resulting mass.

In the past, it was (culinary) savvy that helped Swiss shepherds endure the hardships of winter in the Alps. In the photo: a mountain hut in the canton. Graphics: swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger

Today, this theory is considered the most likely origin story for Swiss fondue and is very common in mountainous regions.

Or the cunning of a monk?

There is also another legend about the origin of the Swiss cheese delicacy. In the 13th century, a monk named Vacarinus decided to circumvent the ban on eating hard cheese during fasting. He heated the product to a liquid consistency and presented it as "cheese soup".

The rest of the monks argued for a long time how such a dish differs from the forbidden cheese, but as a result they were allowed to use it during fasting.

• Homer's The Iliad describes a dish that is very reminiscent of Swiss fondue. In particular, grated goat cheese, wine and flour had to be boiled over an open fire. Although the recipe is more than 2800 years old, the dish can be called an old relative of the Swiss national dish.
• Until now, Italy disputes the fact that cheese fondue was “born” in Switzerland. However, it has been proven that his homeland is Swiss.
• The first full written mention of the Swiss fondue dates back to 1699. In the cookbook of Anna Margaretha Gessner (Anna Margaretha Gessner), the dish is referred to as "cheese with wine" (German: "Käss mit Wein").
• The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was also a fan. In a letter to his friend François Coindet, he writes that if his friend found a piece of Gruyère cheese, they could enjoy the Swiss cheese delicacy.
• With the onset of the Great Depression in 1914, the Swiss Cheese Association faced a severe decline in sales. In order to somehow stay afloat, she began selling cheese for making fondue. As a result, the dish appears at the National Exhibition "Village Suisse" in, and then at the World's Fair in New York 1939-1940.
• By the 1950s, the dish is gaining unprecedented popularity throughout Switzerland, which was facilitated by the Swiss Cheese Association. In 1954, a mass free fondue tasting takes place in Schaffhausen.
• In November 2018, Fondue was also announced in economy class on some destinations. Previously, only business class passengers had the privilege of enjoying a cheese product at an altitude of 11,000 meters above the Earth's surface.

Cheese Fondue Recipes

Ingredients

To make a classic cheese fondue at home, you will need a few ingredients.

Photo: the_junes, CC BY 2.0

Cheese

First of all, it is worth choosing the basis of our dish -. Gruyere or cheese is often used in Switzerland, but Vacherin Fribourgeois, Raclette, Appenzeller, Tilsilter and Sbrinz are also very popular.

In general, one person will need about 200-250 grams of cheese. Accordingly, for a company of 4 people - somewhere around 800-1000 gr.

Wine

The second important ingredient is. Dry white wine is perfect, to which you will need to add one tablespoon of lemon juice during cooking (it will not allow the cheese to thicken). You can also use sparkling wines and apple cider (see below for their use).

Photo: swiss-image.ch / Hans-Peter Siffert

Don't overdo the wine - due to the consistency of the curd, excess wine can cause a (mild) intoxication. There should be just enough wine so that only alcoholic steam is felt. The optimal volume is 3.5 deciliters.

If it is planned that children will eat cheese fondue, then it should be done without wine. The latter should be replaced with non-alcoholic apple wine.

Spices

No Swiss fondue is complete without fragrant spices. Nutmeg, garlic and pepper are often added to the dish. Depending on your taste preferences, you can use onion, cumin, paprika, green pepper, and even curry!

In the case of garlic, 1-2 cloves will be enough. Seasonings are enough 3-4 teaspoons.

Bread

Both white and black bread are suitable for cooking. Rye bread, wholemeal bread and baguette are also allowed. But purely for aesthetic reasons, we advise you to use white bread so that the finished dish retains a single color scheme.

Small advice: It is best to use slightly stale bread. So the cheese will be much better to soak the piece. In addition, a slice will allow you to feel the atmosphere in the Swiss Alps, when the local shepherds had really only stale bread at their disposal.

In total, about 600 grams of bread is enough for 4 people.

Dishes -

The preparation of Swiss fondue is simply impossible without the use of special dishes, which are popularly called simply - "". The basic set of utensils is as follows: a special pan " Caquelon” stands on a stand above a candle or burner. The set is complemented by special forks.

Photo: André Karwath, CC BY-SA 2.5

For some time now, you can buy an electric kit. However, traditional cookware uses fire from a burner.

Arriving in the Confederations, many people are sure to try to buy a fondue maker. However, we will give you advice: Don't buy "fondue pots" in souvenir shops in Switzerland - there you will still find only low-quality items imported from China. If you need a really high-quality pan, then get it where they do it themselves - in local stores (for example, Migros or Coop). Pay attention to the label Made in Switzerland“. Swiss-made fondue can be expensive, but the quality will make it worth it.

You are unlikely to succeed in preparing a cheese delicacy without a fondue maker (for example, in a slow cooker): the dishes are made specifically for this dish and have the appropriate properties.

How to cook fondue: step by step instructions

The recipe is very simple. Cooking time at home: only about 15 minutes! There are plenty of cooking tips on the internet. We present to your attention the classic Swiss recipe:

1. For convenience, pre-cut the bread into slices of about 2 x 2 cm.
2. Ignite the fuel in the burner.
3. Rub the sides of the fondue pot with garlic.
4. Then pour the pre-grated cheese into the container. Pour in wine and lemon juice. Add spices to taste.
5. Boil the mass over medium heat, strongly stirring and do not bring to a boil.
6. “Simmer” the dish for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.
7. The finished product should be served immediately. Remember: when dipping a fork of bread into the cheese mass seasoned with wine, do not forget to stir it (the fork) from time to time. You will instinctively determine the optimal dipping time for yourself after the first entry.

Bon appetit! Photo: Proximo86, GFDL

The hot cheese delicacy is especially loved by the Swiss in the cold season (it is often done, for example, on).

Varieties of fondue in Switzerland and beyond

Cantonal differences

Depending on the fondue recipe, it may differ (even very much). Often each region prefers a certain type of cheese.

For example, Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois are most commonly used in the canton, while Gruyère and Raclette are more common in the canton. Some Swiss are very fond of combining several varieties of cheese in different proportions.

Variations with alcohol are also acceptable. For example, white wine can be replaced with champagne or apple cider. Quite often, bread is replaced with potatoes or other vegetables. For example, in the canton they use salted cured meat, known locally as “bündnerfleisch” ( Bundnerfleisch). And in the canton, cheese fondue is eaten with fresh vegetables.

In the world

As already mentioned, the Swiss national dish was enjoyed in many other parts of the world. It is even prepared for the wedding.

With the fact that the fame of cheese delicacy spread around the world, another phenomenon arose: each country began to have its own cooking characteristics. So, in Russia they sometimes eat fondue with sausages. In Switzerland itself, sausages are never served with fondue. The same applies to eggplant, shrimp, etc.

With its superb mountain scenery for an obscenely expensive ski vacation, lakes and unique climate, it's the perfect spot for a short getaway. Also, this country is the birthplace of some hearty and traditional dishes.

Whether you came to Switzerland to actively relax on the mountain slopes or visited it during a European tour, you have a great opportunity to participate in a real feast.

DON'T LEAVE SWITZERLAND WITHOUT TASTING...

Fondue

Fondue for Switzerland is already a cliche, the dish is imprinted in the culture of this country. For centuries, Swiss people living in the mountains have been making fondue with the principle of using bread and cheese that have stale for several cold months.

Today, both the guest and the local resident can taste fondue all over the country all year round. Dip homemade rustic bread in melted cheese (use half Gruyère and half Vacherin), add more wine and garlic and melt the whole mass over a fire. Enjoy fondue with white wine, or wash it down with schnapps or tea for an epic winter meal.

Mashed potatoes with onions and sausages / Papet Vaudois

Pape Vaudois is best described as mashed leeks and potatoes that are stewed for several hours. As a result, the onion takes on a dark golden color and blends with the fatty sausage unique to the Canton of Vaud (Vaudois sausage).

In Canton, this dish is deeply rooted in French culture. Pape Vaudois, with its infamous red stuffed sausage, is already a symbol of the region.

Rosti, Welsh style (Rosti)

Rosti is one of the iconic national dishes of Switzerland, which is made from grated potatoes and fried until crispy golden brown. Although no one knows when rosti was first made, the farmers of Canton always ate it for breakfast. Today you will find that Rösti is eaten all over the country at lunchtime.

When winter comes, in Canton Vale, the people love to indulge in rosti. Served in a Valais-style ceramic Rösti cauldron, it's a delicious mashed potatoes topped with salted bacon, fried egg, and melted Raclette cheese. It is served with spicy gherkins and pickled pearl onions.

Basel-style roasted flour soup

According to legend, a girl from Basel could not marry until she learned how to make soup from toasted flour. While there are countless ways to make this soup, it is essentially made with flour, butter, onions, and beef broth. It is then topped with grated Gruyère cheese.

The legend also says that the soup was invented by an absent-minded cook who was distracted by a chat and left the flour in the pot, and it accidentally burned. The cook was not at a loss and decided that this would be a new dish, which then took root. This soup is an integral part of the Basel festival and is officially eaten at 3pm.

Raclette

During the cold months, the scent of campfires and pines wafts along the roads of Switzerland. Wander the slopes and you will smell the sharp aroma of melted Raclette cheese. Originally from the Canton of Valais, Raclette is a local cheese usually grilled for a long time and scraped off layer upon layer of slowly melting cheese, then served with boiled potatoes, pickles and onions.

Thanks to modern equipment, homemade raclette is a common thing in Switzerland. It is prepared at home, where friends have gathered and have been waiting for slices of melted cheese for several hours, drinking the local Fandan wine.

Polenta and braised beef

In the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, polenta has always been kneaded, a dish made from cornmeal that has been used to make porridge for centuries. Traditionally, it is slowly cooked in a copper cauldron over a fire until it thickens. When winter comes, polenta is paired with savory, beef stew, and wine to suit every taste. Polenta is made in the spirit of the best village traditions.

Zurich veal and mushroom stew / Zurich-style veal (Zurcher geschnetzeltes)

A typical hearty winter lunch in Zurich is veal cut into cubes. The dish is made from chopped veal, veal kidneys or sweet meat, which is fried in a sauce of onions, butter, white wine, cream and mushrooms.

Of course, this classic dish hailing from the German-speaking city of Switzerland has taken root on culinary menus across the country. Pairing veal with wine sauce or Zurcher geschnetzeltes, as they say in the Swiss-German dialect, is a real treat, wherever you are.

Tartiflette

Tariflet was invented near the French-Swiss border in the department of Haute-Savoie, the birthplace of the local Reblochon cheese. Although cheese had been produced as early as the 16th century, it did not become popular until the 1980s, when the union was trying to boost the marketing of the cheese. And it worked.

Today, tarifflet is one of the staples in most ski resorts, especially in Romandy. This is a rustic casserole made from thinly sliced ​​potatoes, sliced ​​smoked bacon, sweet onions, and creamy nutty reblochon cream cheese (of course).

Bern-style lekerlis biscuits with hazelnuts

This dish has a long and rich history in Switzerland, especially around Christmas. Although their ancestors were German sweets, these gingerbread-like spicy biscuits have been served with tender hazelnuts in the Swiss capital for centuries.

The viscous, spicy sweet Leckerlis (if you also dip them in tea) are more than worthy of the list of dishes that you are going to try in Switzerland.

Swiss cheese Vacherin Mont D'Or

Only in Switzerland is cheese a seasonal product. From September to April, when there is still snow in the mountains, Vacherin Mont-d'Or cheese has been appearing in shops for more than a century.

Soft, spicy cow's milk cheese is made in the villages of the Jura canton. It is mixed with white wine and garlic, then this gooey cream cheese is placed in round wooden boxes. Cheese is served warm with boiled potatoes. Kind of a nice winter ritual.