Swiss cuisine

Encyclopedia : S : SW : SWI : Swiss cuisine

This article is part
of the Cuisine series
Preparation techniques and cooking items
Techniques - Utensils
Weights and measures
Ingredients and types of food
Spices and Herbs
Sauces - Soups - Desserts
Cheese - Pasta - Bread
Other ingredients
Regional cuisines
Asia - Europe - Caribbean
South Asian - Latin America
Mideast - North America - Africa

See also:
Famous chefs - Kitchens - Meals

The Swiss cuisine is unique in its many regional influences from its neighbors' cuisine, including Italian, French, and German cuisine.

Food

Many Swiss supermarkets, like this one in Interlaken, often have an entire aisle dedicated solely to Swiss chocolate.

Foods often associated with Switzerland include cheese and chocolate. Swiss cheeses, in particular Emmental cheese, Gruyère, Vacherin, and Appenzeller, are famous Swiss products. The most popular cheese dishes are fondue and Raclette. Both these dishes were originally regional dishes, but were popularized by the Swiss Cheese Union to boost sales of cheese.

Rösti is a popular potato dish that is eaten all over Switzerland. It was originally a breakfast food, but this has been replaced by the muesli, which is commonly eaten for breakfast and in Switzerland goes by the name of "Birchermüesli" ("Birchermiesli" in some regions). For breakfast and dinner many Swiss enjoy sliced bread with butter and jam. There is a wide variety of bread rolls available in Switzerland. Bread and cheese is a popular dish for dinner.

Tarts and quiches are also traditional Swiss dishes. Tarts in particular are made with all sorts of toppings, from sweet apple to onion. The chocolate drink Ovomaltine (known in the USA as "Ovaltine") originates in Switzerland and enjoys ongoing popularity, particularly with young people. Aside from being a beverage it is also used on top of a slice of buttered bread.

There are a great number of regional dishes in Switzerland. One example is zürigschnätzlets—thin strips of veal with mushrooms in a cream sauce served with rösti. Italian cuisine is popular in contemporary Switzerland, particularly pasta and pizza.

Beverages

Apple juice is popular in many areas of Switzerland. It is also produced in the form of cider. Wine is produced in many regions of Switzerland, particularly the Valais, the Vaud, the Ticino and the canton of Zurich. Riesling is a common wine produced. Absinthe is brewed again in the Jura region of Switzerland, where it originated; long banned by a specific anti-Absinthe article in the Swiss constitution, it has been re-legalized in 2004.