Hi, I'm Andie.
I live near the Swiss Alps, in Bern, and I love not only melting cheese, but all kinds of Swiss cooking.
Hi, I'm Andie.
I live near the Swiss Alps, in Bern, and I love not only melting cheese, but all kinds of Swiss cooking.
A common query about the English language is how we tell one another to enjoy our meals. Usually if anything is said at all, it is borrowed from the French, bon appetit. In German-speaking Switzerland, before tucking into the plate in front of you, it is customary to wish other diners a good meal ahead. Much more musical than the standard German Guten Apetit, the Swiss say En Guetä and I wish you the same.
This classic Swiss tea cake is chock full of nuts and chocolate and has a wonderfully tender crumb.
A gloriously creamy cake with quark, plums and streusel as the base and topping.
Featuring meringue, fruit and whipped or ice cream, this pavlova-like cake is the perfect summer dessert.
I can’t think of anything more comforting than these cheesy mashed potatoes, formed into dumplings, basted in butter and baked in the oven.
This classic family favourite borrows five ‘p’s from the Italians—pomodoro, Parmigiano, panna, prezzemolo, pepe—but seems to be Swiss at heart.
Available at every Swiss gas station and bakery throughout the country, these sausage rolls are a favourite quick lunch for manual labourers and students (and everyone else).
These flattened meatballs are staple of Swiss comfort cooking, and covered in a creamy mushroom sauce.
Another Swiss family favourite, these puff pastry swaddled sausages are simple, nostalgic, and delicious.
Glimmering in Swiss bakery windows are the weighty Vogelnestli (bird’s nests), with a buttery base and nutty meringue border filled with jam.
The recipe for this dish was first published in the 1977 Betty Bossi cookbook Kochen für Gäste and upon publication all the pork tenderloin in Switzerland was sold out.
A versatile toast from the Entlebuch, sweet and savoury, where creamy mushrooms are the star of the show.
Perfect for apéro (or anytime), these ham croissants are flaky on the outside and savoury on the inside.
Rice pudding on a bed of applesauce and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Classic comfort food.
When my Canadian friends were invited for dinner, my mum made this crowd-pleaser, which we’d refer to as Swiss Hamburger Helper.
Although it’s now an absolute standard of Swiss cuisine, the famous dish Zürich Geschnetzeltes (or Züri Gschnätzlets in dialect) is relatively modern, first appearing in the late 1940s.
On hot days in Switzerland, like in many other countries, people eat salad.
But because it's Switzerland, sometimes a lot of cheese is involved.
Coupe Romanoff isn't originally Swiss, but it’s one of the country’s favourite ice cream sundaes (after Coupe Dänemark, of course).
I often have a difficult time ordering Brät at the butcher's, as I find it really hard to pronounce in Swiss German.
"Brät, bitte"
"Brot?"
"Nein, Brät."
"Brie?"
"Nein, Brääät."
"Oh, Brät!"
Creamy no-bake cheesecake, with the nostalgic taste of Bärentatzen.
My grandmother was an expert mushroom hunter. She would take morning hikes through the forest, collect them in an old wicker basket, and then make Pastetli with mushroom filling for lunch. The secret of which mushrooms to pick was then passed on to my aunt and cousin.
Because mushrooms can definitely kill you.
As early as Roman times filled eggs were served as a first course for wealthy diners. Through the ages they have been enjoyed all over Europe with numerous filling variations including: cheese, raisins, herring, anchovies and even caviar. The Swiss version is like a bacon and egg breakfast with christmas spices.
According to the excellent cookbook, Kochen wie im alten Bern (loosely translated as Cook Like They Did in Old Bern), in the 1700s there was hardly a Swiss cookbook that didn't mention some sort of Zitronensalat (lemon salad).
This "salad" hardly needs a recipe. It is basically just sausage and cheese with a mayo infused vinaigrette. But there is something so comforting and classically Swiss about it. It is perfect as a quick dinner after a day at the pool or lake, something cool and simple, but still relatively hearty.
This recipe for Maispizza (Corn pizza), comes from Betty Bossi's everyday recipe book, Alltags Rezepte mit Pfiff. This book, first published in 1975, is full of strange 70s recipes for meatloaf with banana and nostalgic classics, like this pizza.
The Griessköpfli is akin to rice pudding (creamy, raisiny), but firmer, and therefore sliceable. It is dazzlingly toppable—pour over anything from boozy sauces to fruit compotes or caramels, or eat it plain and revel in its comforting simplicity.
