Swiss Food - Discover the delicious cuisine in the Alps

Our country has indeed a world famous, high claim fulfilling Swiss cuisine with accompanying exemplary service.

However, the food ingredients and the way we prepare it vary greatly from region to region. The cooking is firmly rooted on dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, cheese and/or yoghurt and those find their way into most dishes.

What do the Swiss eat for Breakfast?

For breakfast, we mostly eat a selection of bread such as white, whole wheat or Roggenbrot with butter or margarine and jam or honey.

Sometimes dried meat, ham, homemade sausages and eggs are also on the menu plan. Many children still eat the famous Birchermuesli, which is porridge in yoghurt with fresh fruits and nuts - very delicious and very nutritious.

We are heavy coffee drinkers, although some may prefer herbal teas, hot or cold chocolate. Most people that travel Switzerland love our coffee. In fact, we have become a leading coffee exporter even so there is no coffee growing here - but that is another story.

What do we eat for Lunch?

Most people in the Alpine regions prefer a complete hot meal whereas in the cities, lunch may be as simple as a sandwich. Generally, we eat a hot meal during lunch hour, which is between 12:00 am – 1:00 pm.

For lunch, the Swiss food varies depending in what region one lives. It could be as simple as a Risotto or Polenta in the Ticino region or Zurich sliced veal in a rich cream sauce in the Zurich area. The people in the Bernese Oberland often eat the well-known "Bern plate with Sauerkraut" whereas the people in St. Gallen eat a dish based on calf sausages.

However, "Schnitzel with Pommes Frites", breaded veal with Roesti (like hash browns) is popular everywhere is Switzerland.

So for lunch, most Swiss steak recipes contain often sausages or meat – mainly veal, beef, pork, chicken or turkey. Side dishes include different types of pasta, rice, potatoes, potatoe purée, roesti or polenta (corn). Vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, beans, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms or carrots (the Swiss favorite vegetable) are included in most dishes.

Locally grown fruits include grapes, apples, pears, apricots, plums, peaches, cherries and different types of berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and red currants.

What do we eat for Dinner?

Depending on what people had for lunch, dinner can be a full main course. In the Alpine regions in the south and southeast, bread with a soup or cheese and maybe some dried meat or ham is also often on the menu.

We eat more frequently the famous "Swiss Fondue", which is a cheese soup or "Raclette" with a group of friends on a Friday or Saturday evening or on events and festivals. There are some Swiss recipes that are almost entirely vegetarian, even if most Swiss are not regarded as such.

The people here really like sweets such as different pies or pastries and ice cream. And of course, we love Swiss chocolate.

In fact, Switzerland is the world’s most famous chocolate nation, home to the leading international chocolate brands. And over the years, some chocolatiers have produced the best chocolate recipes of Switzerland. It’s no wonder that the Swiss people consume more chocolate than any other country in the world – an amazing 11.6 kg per capita per annum. Please click here to read more about delicious Swiss chocolate.

Swiss Food in Restaurants

The Swiss gastronomy rewards itself through diversity and quality. You will find excellent restaurants in large numbers not just in big cities and in resorts, but also in inconspicuous villages, which are often disguised as simple taverns.

Dining in Switzerland used to be very expensive. However, when I compare prices in our neighbouring countries, it does not seem to be such a big difference anymore.

In fact, since the introduction of the Euro in all EU countries, dining in Switzerland has become cheaper. I agree that certain ingredients for preparing Swiss food are still expensive. To my mind come mostly meats, especially veal and shellfish or certain fruits such as apricots.

For a normal "menu à la carte" you pay between 12 – 50 Swiss francs. In the best Swiss restaurants, you are looking at 200 francs and up for a full course gourmet dinner. Click here and discover where the top gourmet restaurants in Switzerland are located.

Generally speaking, most Swiss are not that much into fast food. Besides, fast food in Switzerland is really expensive and costs about the same as a simple menu. Therefore, we prefer a more reasonable dish in a tasty cream sauce with lots of vegetables.

For people who like to go Dutch, there are many excellent low cost restaurants in small towns. As an alternative, try the Migros or Coop restaurants found in most larger towns. The prices for a menu range from 9 – 18 francs. When it comes to Swiss food, you cannot go wrong with most dishes – because it is simply delicious.

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