What to eat Switzerland? culinary specialties and gastronomy

There are over 475 varieties of cheese in Switzerland, almost all made from cow's milk. These include Emmental (Bern) and Gruyère (French-speaking Switzerland), which are indeed Swiss, despite what the French often think. This is also true of raclette AOC produced in Valais and Fribourg, not forgetting Appenzeller, Étivaz (Vaud), tête de moine (Bernese Jura) and tomme vaudoise. Vacherin mont d'or originates from the canton of Jura. This soft cheese comes in a spruce strap and is best eaten warm by the spoonful. Not to be confused with the firmer, Reblochon-like Vacherin Fribourgeois.

This abundance of cheeses has given rise to numerous recipes, including the emblematic fondue, which is available in every canton. These include fondue vaudoise (gruyère), neuchâteloise (gruyère and emmental), appenzelloise (appenzeller) and moitié-moitié (gruyère and vacherin fribourgeois). Fondue fribourgeoise (vacherin fribourgeois) is a little different in that the cheese melts in water rather than white wine, and is served with potatoes rather than bread. In addition to the traditional versions, there are more modern variants flavored with tomato, chili pepper, olives or mushrooms, notably morels.

Raclette(bratchäs in German) is another Swiss specialty, originating in the canton of Valais. Finally, cheese crust consists of a thick slice of toasted bread, soaked in white wine and covered with cheese. It can be topped with an egg or a slice of ham.

As for charcuterie, Switzerland is famous for its Bündnerfleisch IGP and Appenzeller mostbröckli, made from dried beef or horsemeat served in very thin slices. Vaudois sausage and cabbage sausage are IGP, as is Valais cured ham, not to mention gendarmes/Landjäger, with their spicy flavor derived from caraway seeds. There are also cooked and smoked sausages such as the Ajoie sausage, the Geneva IGP longeole, the St. Gallen schübling or the St. Gallen kalberwurst (veal and pork) and bratwurst (veal), which are similar to white pudding.

To accompany all these specialties, Switzerland produces a variety of breads: Basel bread, Bauernbrot, Fribourg bread or Valais rye bread/Walliser Roggenbrot AOP. They are generally round, but some are baguette-shaped, like the Wurzelbrot. The Fastenwähe resembles a small caraway focaccia. These breads go very well with smoked sausage and a little sweet-and-sour Bénichon mustard.

Papet vaudois is the most typical dish in this part of the country. Made with leeks, potatoes and cabbage sausage, it is emblematic of the canton. Compote aux raves et choucroute is a type of sauerkraut garnished with sausages, in which some of the white cabbage is replaced by fermented grated kohlrabi. Finally, there's the Vieux Cabinotiers gratinée, a thick onion soup with bread croutons au gratin with Gruyère cheese.

Röstis are grated potato pancakes with chopped onions, sometimes topped with ham, egg or cheese. Gratin vaudois is a kind of gratin dauphinois flavored with onions and white wine. Also ideal in winter, soupe des brigands du Jorat is a soup of split peas and pig's trotters. Salade de dents-de-lion is prepared with dandelion sprouts, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and croutons. Malakoff is a breaded cheese doughnut and taillé aux greubons is a kind of puff pastry topped with small pieces of bacon, not to mention fricassée de porc à la genevoise, a pork and bacon stew topped with vegetables and thickened with the animal's blood. The term "fricandeau" refers to what is known in France as paupiette, i.e. thin cutlets - often of veal - stuffed with sausage meat and tied up. Other meat dishes include fricassée de caïon, a stew of meat and pork liver simmered in a creamy wine sauce.

Lake Geneva is home to the féra, which can be eaten whole, filleted, smoked, in mousse or terrine form. There are also trout, pike, Arctic char and crayfish. Arctic char à la Genevoise is cooked in a creamy white wine sauce with baby vegetables and tarragon.

A quintessential autumn dish, the assiette valaisanne is simply an assortment of charcuterie and cheese from the region served with Valais rye bread. Brisolée comes from the same canton and features similar ingredients, but the bread is replaced by chestnuts just roasted on the coals.

One of the best-known dishes in this part of the country is the Berner Platte, an assortment of smoked and cooked meats and sausages: beef tongue, smoked bacon, pork shoulder, pork trotters, boiled sausages, and so on. Alternatively, the more delicate Zürcher Geschnetzeltes is a recipe for veal simmered with cream, white wine and mushrooms. Rahmschnitzel is a creamy escalope, while Fleischvogel is a beef paupiette. Finally, Ghackets mit Hörnli is a minced meat stew in red wine served with pasta. Rare fish recipes include Forellenfilet Zuger art, trout fillets with white wine cream.

There are also complete dishes such as Älplermagronen, macaroni with melted Gruyère cheese, onion and smoked bacon. Appenzeller Käsefladen and Basler Käsewähe are two types of cheese quiche, while Zibelechueche is a Bernese onion tart. More sophisticated is the Luzerner Chügelipastete, a puff pastry dome with veal, cream, raisins and apples. Swiss salads aren't always light, like Schweizer Wurstsalat, a salad with potato, sausage strips and onion.

Surrounded by Lombardy and Piedmont, Ticino's cuisine is typical of northern Italy, with an abundance of polenta (cornmeal) and round rice for risotto, while potatoes are used to make gnocchi with gorgonzola or minestrone, a soup with a variety of vegetables. For Christmas, we even serve panettone, as in Milan.

It's hard to think of chocolate without thinking of Switzerland, which invented milk chocolate in 1875 by confectioner Daniel Peter, using condensed milk invented by Henri Nestlé, also Swiss. Among the most famous Swiss chocolatiers are Cailler (1819), Favarger (1826), Suchard (1826), Kohler (1830), Lindt (1879), Tobler (1899), Villars (1901) and Camille Bloch (1929). Unsurprisingly, the Swiss are the world's biggest chocolate consumers, with almost 9 kilos per capita per year.

But there's much more to Switzerland than chocolate. Examples include the Aargauer Rüeblitorte (Aargau carrot cake) with its lemon glaze, the Zuger Kirschtorte (Zug kirsch cake) made with sponge cake, almond meringue and kirsch buttercream, or the Osterfladen, a pastry flan with raisins made at Easter. Chestnut vermicelli is similar to our Mont Blanc and is eaten in small tarts. Emmental meringue is topped with whipped cream.

A multitude of gingerbread products can be found, such as Basler Läckerlis from Basel, small cobblestones with honey, candied fruit and almonds, topped with a white glaze. Luzerner Lebkuchen is a moist spiced cake, while magenbrot are gingerbread cubes covered with a chocolate shell. Finally, the Berner Lebkuchen is a rectangular cookie with a bear motif - the symbol of the city of Bern - which can be made with hazelnuts(Haselnusslebkuchen) or honey(Honiglebkuchen). Tirggel are honey-flavored Christmas shortbread from Zurich, while Biber(li) are marzipan-filled cookies from Appenzell.

In Graubünden, you'll find Bünder Nusstorte, a tart filled with cream caramel and walnuts, while Birnbrot is a kind of cylindrical bread filled with dried pears, walnuts, raisins, orange peel and a host of spices: very nourishing. Fasnachtschüechli, or marvels, are crispy fried pancakes. In Bern, you'll love the Meitschibei, a U-shaped pastry filled with hazelnut paste. Zigerkrapfen (serac turnovers) contain serac, a fresh whey-based cheese flavored with almonds, orange peel and cinnamon. There's also Zopf, a woven brioche loaf, and taillaule, a raisin brioche from Neuchâtel. Finally, Birchermuesli or müesli, made from oat flakes, is a Swiss invention by Dr. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner (1867-1939).

When it comes to hot beverages, the Swiss rank ^7th among the world's biggest coffee consumers, with almost 8 kg per capita per year. At the crossroads of Germanic, French and Italian influences, there are many different types of coffee: espresso, crema, cappuccino or simple black coffee. Tasty hot chocolates are also available.

Although tap water is excellent in Switzerland, carafes of water are rarely served free of charge. But you can order Rivella, a popular whey-based lemonade, or Ramseier Swiss apple juice, similar to a non-alcoholic cider, unless you prefer a beer. Cardinal, Feldschlösschen, Gurten, Hürlimann, Warteck, Valaisanne and Rugenbräu are the most popular brands. In French-speaking Switzerland, you'll also find quality brandies: absinthe, génépi, apricot or Williams pear alcohol. Although little known, Swiss wines are well worth a visit. Switzerland boasts some 50 grape varieties spread over 14,700 ha, concentrated mainly in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. The terraced vineyards of Lavaux, near Lausanne, majestically overlooking Lake Geneva, have even been listed by UNESCO since 2006.

The classic grape varieties of Burgundy and the Loire produce dôle, féchy and dézaley in Valais and near Geneva, as well as chasselas, gamay, chardonnay, aligoté and gamaret. In northern and eastern Switzerland, pinot noir is known as klevner and produces fine reds, while Alsatian varieties such as sylvaner, gewurztraminer and tokay produce dry whites. Ticino specializes in Merlot.