Typical foods you'll come across whilst staying in Switzerland

The Swiss recipe book basically steals little bits and pieces of cuisine tradition from various other European nations. For instance, there are the so-called, French, Italian and German dishes as well as those stemming towards Graubünden Canton. Quite a few of the dishes you’ll find throughout Switzerland are not only healthy and delicious; they’re also typically easy to whip up in your own kitchen using readily available ingredients. Of course, if you’re going to be traveling there you aren’t going to be cooking, but be sure to take notes if you’re a dedicated “foodie”. Anyway, here are some of the typical foods you’ll come across whilst staying over in Switzerland…

Älplermagronen

Quite simply, this is a macaroni dish that everyone should find to be quite palatable and versatile. The name actually translates directly into “Alpine herdsman's macaroni”, the idea being that this rather simplistic dish would serve as a sort of Swiss “Shepard’s pie”, if you will. Typically speaking, Älplermagronen will contain macaroni and whatever assorted ingredients might be on hand, including things like onion, potatoes, cheese, etc. Whether or not the restaurants you’ll be visiting are offering this particular dish, it’s worth ordering to try at least once, especially given its rather rural significance.

Fondue

Chances are, you’ve already had Fondue at some point before paying a visit to Switzerland, of course there’s no substitute for authentic fare is there? A good Swiss Fondue will consist of locally obtained cheese (or better yet, cheeses; perhaps gruyère and emmentaler) which has been melted down in a clay pot so that additional items can be dipped into it. Naturally, you can also season your mixture with other things such as brandy, garlic or wine, depending on the chef’s particular recipe. In the country of its origin however, fondue doesn’t imply dipping any type of food in cheese, only cubed pieces of bread.

Raclette

Yet another notable Swiss dish is Raclette, which is extremely cheese-centric. In essence, you start with something like a gruyere (or a Raclette, which is itself a type of cheese), you heat it up and then scrape off the melted portions onto a plate. There are also special raclette grills which allow you to both melt and scrape the cheese over the top of other cooked vegetables (if your restaurant serves Raclette with this type of device, definitely give it a shot). While it might sound like a rather bland experience, you cannot underestimate the quality of these local cheeses nor their completely organic composition. In the hands of an experienced Swiss chef, Raclette is an amazing dish.