A selection of recipes

A selection of recipes


"ENTREES" and trimmimg

    If we do not take into consideration the many wonderful dried and cooked meats,the 'ENTREES" served in Switzerland are for the most part hot and substantial dishes like toasted savouries."croutons", fritters or cheese tarts.
    They make use of some of the most delicious produce of the soil, with tasty varieties of mushroom like the morel, cantharellus or bollatus, taking pride of place. They proliferate in our foresta and meadows from spring to autumn, and are dried so that they can be enjoyed in the depths of winter.


    It will come as no surprise to learn that cheese is also important ingredient in our "entrees" Think of slice of freshly-toasted bread coated with a succulent layer of dubling golden cheese, and you have a simple picture of quite, solid contentment.
    These "entrees" can, and often do, provide a welcome and satisfying snack when returing from a hunting or fishing trip, a ski-ing expedition, or a walk in our mountain pastures.


Thick and clear soups


    Although it is logical enough to surmise that the first soup followed the discovery of fire,paleontologists claim that it neverthe less preceded the invention of fire-proof pots. Prehistoric man found the trick of putting his ingredients-vegetable, roots, water -in the hollow of rock and then throwing into it stones which had been heated white in a nearbyt. The intense heat released by the stones brought the mixture to boiling point.


    Has anything really change over the ages? Preparations and techniques may have improved. But the"philosophy" of soup remains the same. It is still a hearty dish,typically consumed in the family circle.
    The more deeply-rooted the traditions of a country. the stronger the ingrained soup-eating habit. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that Switzerland, with its rich diversity of soups, each more exquisitely endowes with the flavours and aromas of the past.


Meats and main dishes


    "Fricassee" of poultry. marinades of lamb or game, jugged meats,"croustades", gratins, gnocchi, stuffings,"papets" and stews...it is enough to mention these dishes to evoke the flavour of Swiss cooking.
    The mountainous environment has influenced concept of cooking in Switzerland, and has given birth to the rich flavour and substantial nature of its dishes. The choice of meats and vegetables gives Swiss cooking its substance, while the rich flavour is derived from the sauces, and from the variety of spices and aromatic herbs used.


    When a country is blessed, as Switzerland is, with dairy produce-butter and cream - of the finest quality, as well as with remarkably fine wines, then the foundations are laid for gastronomical delights.
    If veal, prepared in Zurich style,is now considered as one of the classic dishes, included by leading gourmets as one of the world's hundred best dishes, we shall see in this chaper, that a good few Swiss dishes deserve the same accolade.


Dessert and pastries


    It has already been pointed out in the general introduction to this book that our country's culinary tradition is explained largely by its mountainous nature and by our ancestor's need, in former times, to eat substantial meals in order to resist the hard winter.
    This is no doubt explains why our desserts often consist of rich pastries. One of the most striking features of these pastries is the fact that they are nearly always assiciated with historical or religious commemoration.There is not one canton nor even a municipality without its own festive pastry.
Every recipe- tart, cake, fritter, special bread or biscuit- is bound up with some local or national event.When the love of good food is bound up with the history of a nation, pleasure takes on quite another dimention!!