Switzerland is a country that combines several cultures at once: Italian, German, French. This has significantly influenced the tradition of cooking. Inhabitants of Switzerland in large quantities eat various dairy products - cottage cheese, butter, milk, cheese. Their diet consists of meat, various types of vegetables, fish, cereals and legumes. Depending on the area, preference is given to certain products. Today we want to introduce you to the most popular national dishes of Switzerland.
A bit about Swiss cuisine
Local cuisine is famous for its diversity. This is associated with the ethnic composition of the population living in this territory, and the influence of the countries bordering it: France, Austria, Italy, Germany. In addition, a large assortment of dishes is associated with the fact that they are traditionally engaged in agriculture.
Note that all products produced in the country are of high quality, natural taste without the presence of harmful additives. In Switzerland, there is a special organization that issues certificates for the best products. This product category is assigned the prestigious quality mark - AOC or IGP.
Traditional swiss food
In the first place among traditional dishes, national cuisine is fondue: the so-called molten cheese (necessarily hard varieties) with wine and seasonings. A slice of bread is released into this mass on a long fork. Fondue is prepared directly during a meal, while a bowl of cheese is constantly warming up. This is done so that the cheese does not freeze. During the meal, all participants in the feast are sitting around the fondue (kakelon).
Bowler pleasures
The Swiss are distinguished by their great love for cheese. Today we will talk about how to cook cheese fondue with wine. To prepare it, we need:
- 30 ml of cherry vodka;
- 200 g of emmental and gruyere cheese (you can replace gouda);
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 200 ml of white wine (dry);
- salt pepper;
- nutmeg.
We place the cheese mass in the fondue bowl for a minimum fire for 5 minutes, do not forget to stir with a whisk. The ideal way to serve fondue is in a kakelon, but a ceramic bowl or a cast-iron pot are also suitable for this. You can dunk anything into the melted cheese mass: fried shrimp, small cubes of bread, slices of baked potato.
Today, Swiss fondue has a broader meaning. Many types of this dish have been created, which are prepared according to other technologies and recipes:
- village fondue - the dish is fried meat with potatoes, which is poured with melted cheese;
- Burgundy fondue - boiled meat with spices and cheese;
- chicken fondue - chicken fillet stewed in a creamy sauce;
- chocolate fondue - melted chocolate with almonds and honey, dipped in various fruits, waffles, bread, cookies.
There are also not quite ordinary fondue options - from ice cream and blueberries.
Cheese dishes
Due to the fact that cheese is perhaps the most beloved product in Switzerland, national dishes with the inclusion of this product in them are deservedly popular. These include:
- raclette;
- Swiss meat
- decide;
- Swiss cheese soup.
Raclette
Another Swiss national dish made from molten cheese is called raclette. The main ingredient is boiled potatoes (often in their skins), as well as pickled cucumbers and melted cheese. The peculiarity of its preparation is that the cheese is placed next to a heat source, and then the molten mass is scraped off the surface, served with gherkins, potatoes, and onions.
Decide
Swiss potato reshti in appearance and taste resemble our pancakes or potato pancakes, but sprinkled with grated cheese. Very often in Switzerland they are served for breakfast. In order to cook this unusually tasty dish, we need:
- 800 g of potatoes (raw);
- salt pepper;
- 80 g oils (melt.).
For fish paste:
- 150 g cream cheese;
- 200 g smoked salmon;
- 4 feathers of chives.
Coarsely grate raw potatoes, add salt and pepper, knead. In a stewpan with plums. spread small potato cakes with butter and fry for four to five minutes for each side.
To the ready-made grouts, we serve the fish paste prepared as follows: we combine all of the listed components, beat thoroughly into a homogeneous mass. This dish, which has an exquisite combination, will be a great addition to a family breakfast.
First meal
Quite interesting options for first courses can be seen among national dishes in Switzerland. All of them have a sophisticated taste and can be included in the social events menu. Among them are:
- Ticino soup with giblets;
- minestrone vegetable soup;
- barley soup from Graubunden;
- flour stew from Basel.
Barley soup
Interestingly, barley is considered one of the first cultivated crops. In addition, the grain is well stored and does not deteriorate for a long time. That is why this grain crop has a strong position in the food industry. All over the world there are a huge number of variations of barley soups. We offer you a recipe for Swiss barley soup. The dish turns out to be very rich, thick, it is considered winter in the homeland, because it helps to quickly warm up after a long winter walk. To work, we need:
- 300 g of beef (smoked);
- 2.5 l of beef broth;
- ¾ Art. barley (barley);
- 3 petiole celery with leaflets;
- one medium carrot;
- 15 cm leek (white part);
- 1 medium onion;
- 2 potatoes;
- 200 g of cabbage (white);
- 1 tbsp next oils;
- 30 g of olive. butter;
- peppercorns;
- salt;
- cloves;
- lavrushka.
Well washed barley, soaked for 4-5 hours in water. Then we rinse again and cook until tender, on average it will take half an hour. We will prepare vegetables: chop celery and leek, chop carrots and onions not too coarsely, cut potatoes into cubes, and traditionally straws. In a saucepan on a mixture of oils, fry the carrots and onions for no more than 2 minutes. Add leek, celery and potatoes to them and fry for the same amount of time. We add cabbage and fry for a couple of minutes.
According to the original Swiss recipe, raw veal leg, barley, water in the amount of 2 liters are added to the vegetables, everything boils for an hour and a half. If you do not want to boil vegetables for so long, the broth can be boiled in advance. Smoked meat (thinly sliced) is added to the finished soup.
Second courses
Among the national dishes of Switzerland, they stand in a special place. They are prepared from meat of beef, pork, chicken. The Swiss pay due attention to fish products. What dishes of national cuisine should you try? We recommend:
- Bernese Platter - fried pork slices with sauerkraut or beans;
- knakerly - spicy sausages with spices and sauce;
- gesnetzeltes - the so-called narrow strips of fried calf meat with herbs, mushrooms and sauce;
- Leberwürst - smoked sausages made from liver and fat;
- Bundenfly - beef jerky with onion (salted).
Gesnetzeltes
We must say right away that the classic version of this dish includes veal. But in the modern world they cook it from chicken, pork and even beef. For this recipe, veal must be very quickly fried over high heat: this is necessary so that it can not release juice. Take:
- 600 g of veal (fillet);
- 200 ml of dry wine (preferably white);
- 50 g of onions;
- 200 ml cream;
- 15 g of flour;
- parsley;
- lemon zest from ¼ h .;
- pepper, salt;
- 2 tbsp. l next oils.
Very quickly, over high heat, fry the meat and keep it warm. In the same oil, fry finely chopped onions, add flour to it, mix, pour the wine and evaporate half. Add cream, zest, parsley, salt and pepper. We put warm meat, boil a little, but do not let it boil. Serve with potato decis. If desired, you can add mushrooms to the recipe.
Meringue: what is it?
I would like to note that confectionery is presented in a huge assortment in Swiss cuisine. In the first place, of course, is the well-known Swiss chocolate. By the way, it is estimated that on average each Swiss eats more than 12 kg of this product per year. Later we will introduce you to Swiss meringues and a recipe for cooking. But first, let's talk about the most popular desserts:
- lekerli - gingerbread cookies from Basel, honey gingerbread cookies;
- brunsley - the so-called chocolate chip cookie, with the addition of almonds;
- kyuhli - any sweet cakes;
- granola - with apples, nuts, raisins (it is believed that this dish was invented in Switzerland).
What is it - meringue? This is called protein custard. If it is prepared in compliance with technological requirements, it turns out to be airy, shiny, delicate, smooth, able to keep its shape well and easily sit with a pastry syringe or bag.
Ready-made confectionery made from this mass turns out to be unusually beautiful, embossed. After some time, a light and very thin crust appears, it dries up, and a soft air cream remains inside.
Swiss meringues are used for decorating cupcakes and muffins, in addition, they are used for interlayer sponge cakes and for decorating products. When baking in the oven over low heat, a magnificent meringue cake is obtained. Swiss meringues are prepared by brewing egg whites with a rather hot sugar syrup. As a result of this, egg white is disinfected, and the cream's structure becomes more dense.