By Arnie Wilson, editor of Ski+board magazine
The Swiss are, historically, a farming nation, and they love their cheeses. The most famous are Emmental, Gruyère, Vacherin and Appenzeller and come in many shapes, sizes and smells.
Add good peasant food like potatoes, and you’re all set for such humble but hearty dishes as rösti (popular in German-speaking Switzerland), fondue and raclette (favoured in French-speaking areas).
Risotto and polenta are popular in the Italian speaking parts. In the Romansche-speaking south-eastern Switzerland they’re rather fond of barley soup, and Pizokel (large noodles made of mixed wheat and buckwheat flour) with cabbage, and Bündner Nusstorte (nut cake). Superb chocolate and cakes can be found everywhere.
One of the most celebrated but basic Swiss dishes is "Birchermüesli" invented around 1900 by one Dr Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Zurich-based physician who ran a sanatorium. Birchermüesli – or as it’s now known, muesli, can be found worldwide. The secret of creating the genuine article is to soak the meusli in water or cream overnight. It makes a hearty dish before a day’s skiing.
Swiss wine
Why is it unusual to see Swiss wines in the UK? Two reasons are often suggested – it doesn’t travel well; and the Swiss keep the best for themselves.
The principal Swiss wine growing regions are Geneva, Vaud, Valais, Grisons and Ticino. Anyone who has taken the train from Geneva to ski resorts in Vaud and Valais will have noted the substantial number of vinyards en route – although there are only about 15,000 hectares in the whole country. Nevertheless, it’s claimed that Switzerland produces no fewer than 6,566 different varieties.
Most tourists go for standard favourites like Fendant and Dôle Blanche. Other whites include Chasselas, Aligoté, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Viognier. Reds include Gamays, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Gamaret and Zinfandel. Graubunden, in the east, is also renowned for its Pinot Noir.