A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

It's coming up soon: the  Swiss national holiday 1st of August . Fire works, picnics, brunches, speeches by politicians and warm summer weather will hopefully all be part of this fun holiday this year. Origins of 1st of August Celebrations in Switzerland Traditionally, the 1st of August celebrations in Switzerland commemorate the founding of the original Swiss federation by the "original cantons" (= Urkantone) Uri, Schwyz, Nidwalden and Obwalden in the first half of August 1291. Note that there are only three Urkantone since Nidwalden and Obwalden are the two halves of one canton called Unterwalden.   However, this date does not mark Swiss independence but rather the start of a the several century long formation of the Swiss nation. In fact, it was made a national holiday in as late as 1891 more than six centuries after the fact. 1st of August Bun  How 1st of August is celebrated today Although it is nice to remember the beginnings of Switzerland and to thin...

One thing about Switzerland that certainly plays in its favour is the tasty food - most famously Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolate. Personally, I also think in Switzerland you can find some of world's best breads and pastries. Think about the braided Sunday bread called Zopf and the large variety of Christmas cookies for example. And those are just the tip of the culinary iceberg so to speak. However, today I want to talk about cakes and especially a famous Swiss cake which just happens to be one of my favourites as well. I'll also touch on the unwritten rules you have to follow in order to politely eat cake in Switzerland. Something that is indeed very typical behaviour of Swiss persons . Swiss Carrot Cake - Michaela Schöllhorn  / pixelio.de The Origins of a Swiss Carrot Cake The cake I will talk about is named after the region of Switzerland I grew up in, the canton of Aargau  and is called the Argovian Carrot Cake (in Swiss German: 'Aargauer Rüeblitorte') . I...

Vermicelles in a glass Fall is approaching fast and the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors already. While some may lament the passing of summer, there are still many fun things to do during Fall in Switzerland . Most of the time, the weather is still nice and warm enough so that on a sunny day you can sit on your balcony enjoy a hot cup of coffee and something sweet. And what would be more suitable to this fall season in Switzerland than a typical Swiss dessert like Vermicelles ? What is Vermicelles? Vermicelles is a Swiss speciality dessert. It originated in the southern part of Switzerland called Ticino but now is loved by Swiss people all over. Like the hot marroni sold on the streets during fall and winter in Switzerland , Vermicelles are made mainly from chestnuts, with butter, sugar and Kirsch added to the mixture. Edible Chestnut - Reni  / pixelio.de  Vermicelles is sold in most supermarkets in Switzerland. It normally comes in big chunks ...

Swiss Christmas Cookies - Joujou  / pixelio.de It's that time of the year again, Christmas season is upon us. And even though this year's holidays will probably affected by more or less strict Covid-19 restrictions, it's still a season to rejoice and celebrate Christ's birth with family and friends. Christmas Season Joys Christmas eve is still a month away and with it the family get-together (if Covid restrictions allow for it!), the good food and the gifts. However, in Switzerland, there are many things that we enjoy throughout the Christmas season. I'm thinking of advent wreaths ,   christmas calendars  and advent windows to mark the time until Christmas eve, making a gingerbread house , doing some candle dipping , enjoying some hot glow wine and much more. However, the most typical Christmas activity in Switzerland - and one that songwriter Andrew Bond eternalized in his most famous Christmas song - is baking Swiss Christmas cookies! Typical Swiss Christmas Co...

1st of August - Edith O.  / pixelio.de In just a few days, Switzerland will celebrate 1st of August . This day became an official Swiss national holiday in 1891 and commemorates the signing of the Bundesbrief , a letter declaring union between the three regions of Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden, that took place in the beginning of August 1291. The celebrations for the Swiss national holiday on 1st of August usually include a speech by the president, fireworks, lampion processions, bonfires on mountain ridges called Höhenfeuer ('high fires') and lots of good Swiss food. Many people capitalize on this free day to enjoy an especially large (and late) breakfast, a typical 1st of August brunch , either at home or at one of the many farms that offer this Swiss staple on their premises. What Food is served at a Swiss 1st of August Brunch? A Swiss brunch isn't all that different from a usual Swiss  'Zmorge' (breakfast)  but it usually includes not only more food and more varie...

The Christmas season in Switzerland is just around the corner and soon people will be busy baking and eating Christmas cookies , practicing their poems for Santa's visit , getting ready their Christmas calendars and Advent wreaths, buying or making gifts and generally enjoy the holiday season. Different Swiss Christmas Traditions Although there are some Swiss Christmas traditions that most people observe - e.g. Swiss Santa or Christmas Calendars - each family also has their very own tradition of how Christmas should be celebrated. Some people will go to church on Christmas eve while others prefer to celebrate at home, for example. Some read the Christmas story, others simply enjoy family time and the exchanging of gifts. Also, the food served on Christmas eve varies from household to household. A Swiss classic for Christmas eve is Fondue Chinoise  where you cook meat and vegetables in broth in a shared pot right at the table but by now almost anything goes. Swiss Chris...

What food is Switzerland famous for? A common answer to this question is chocolate. It's true, there is a huge selection of chocolates in Switzerland and most of it is very tasty. However, there is so much more other good food in Switzerland too! There are sweet and savory dishes, lots of pastries and cakes, candy and even soft drinks that originated in Switzerland. Most of these remain popular in Switzerland to this day! Famous Food and Drinks in Switzerland This short (and incomplete) overview of very Swiss dishes and foods will give you a taste of the great variety of Swiss foods. You can find recipes and more information on specific items when you click the link. Famous Food 1st of August Buns : One of the typical ingredients of a Swiss 1st of August celebration, our national holiday, is the 1st of August Bun. This soft sweetish bread appears on almost every table that day - bought or home made. They are tasty and great with cold meat, cheese or jam and taste best ...

Cervelat - EmmaN / pixelio.de If there is one thing that shouldn't be missing at a Swiss style cookout - also called Brötle - it's a few Cervelats. This typical Swiss sausage also called Chlöpfer (which literally means "banger" or "burster") stars at cookouts, school trips, barbecue evenings and even in salads. It is made of pork and beef and has a very unique pink color that sets it off against most other sausages available in Switzerland. How to prepare Cervelat The most common way to prepare a Cervelat is to roast it with a stick over the fire . To prevent it from bursting open uncontrollably, most people cut the sausage before roasting it. Typically you cut a cross into both ends of the Cervelat which gives it it's famous appearance (see picture above). Another popular option is to cut several lines into it's sides. Cervelat can also be eaten "raw" with bread or in a salad . It's a precooked sausage so no worries there! I...

Gipfeli - Paul-Georg Meister / pixelio.de There is probably nothing I miss more about Switzerland than it's great selection of breads and pastries. I remember working in a small town near Zurich where everyday we were visited by a Znüni -Wägeli (lit. 9 o'clock break vehicle) that brought the local bakeries fresh products. Imagine the smell of fresh Weggli (rolls),  Maisbrötli (corn rolls) or - even better - Schoggigipfeli (chocolate croissants)! Combined with a hot cop of coffee these treats definitely made my morning break! The most famous of of Swiss pastries is the Gipfeli (croissant). This flaky moon shaped pastry is very similar to its French relative but slightly less buttery. You can find Gipfeli in every bakery, café and supermarket. Many times you can choose between the classic Buttergipfeli (butter croissant) and it's variants such as Schoggigipfeli (chocolate croissant), Laugegipfeli (lye covered croissant) or Vollkorngipfeli (whole-grain croissant). ...

This year. Yes, this year I'll finally try myself at baking my own Panettone . This Italian treat has long made it's way into Swiss Christmas traditions and can be bought at any supermarket during the Christmas season. I like Panettone in all it's versions: with or without candied fruits, with or without chocolate chips, and with or without raisins. For this baking experiment I decided to go with a simple  Panettone with a bit of candied lemon and orange only. I used this recipe from Chefkoch.de and made a dozen Mini-Panettones . I'm sure you'll find plenty of other good recipes in English on the internet as well! Now, I didn't have Panettone molds. This was a spur of the moment baking venture and I had to improvise. Instead of Panettone molds I used simple cupcake molds and they turned out fine. Not as high and airy as the typical Panettone but just as delicious. I even like their crunchy texture on the bottom and sides! Success! straight from the ov...

Licorice or Bäredräck -  BirgitH  / pixelio.de  Do you know the Swiss German word for ' licorice '? Believe it or not, it is 'Bäredräck' which literally means 'bear droppings'. Think about it, some licorice is shaped in a way that it really looks like animal droppings - just maybe not a bears! If you think bears are the only animals found in Swiss food, you're wrong! We also eat ' little beavers'  or 'Biberli' which is a very tasty marzipan filled tartlet and 'little sparrows' called 'Schpätzli' . As in many other languages, there are many Swiss German words that are funny to the foreign ear and mind. They either simply sound silly  or they have an interesting and very funny literal meaning. This is especially true in the case of Swiss Food . Funny sounding Swiss dishes and treats Bäredräck (licorice, lit. bear droppings) Bettmümpfeli (bedtime snack, lit. little bed munchy) Biberli (almond tartlet, lit. lit...

It's summer in Switzerland. Summer here means long days and lots of fun things to do outside. Unless it's raining of course, although even then there are plenty of things to do outdoors . Summer also means lots and lots of use for that barbecue that you bought in the spring. The Swiss love their grilled meats and sausages with a selection of salads and potato chips. In fact, you can spot some sort of barbecue grill on most balconies and lawns. We call these cookouts " grilliere " ('to grill') - and love to have them especially on weekends. However, there is another style of cookout that is (also) very common in Switzerland. If a cookout is not held at home but somewhere outdoors it isn't called "grilliere" anymore. In this case it is called " brötle ". Brötle - A Swiss Style Cookout The Swiss German word " brötle " comes from the German word "braten" and could be translated as "to roast" or to "...

In this mini series I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland:  Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht . What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll tell you about dinner which is called  Znacht . Znacht Znacht is a Swiss German word and is an abbreviation of the German "zu Nacht" which basically means "at night". This doesn't mean that we eat dinner during the night but rather at the beginning of the night.  In fact, a typical Swiss family eats dinner between 6 and 7pm. Only d uring winter, night actually comes in before dinner starts.  During the long days of summer, Znacht is often eaten on the balcony or on the patio to enjoy the warmth and light of Swiss summer evenings.  What to eat at a Swiss Znacht Unlike Zmittag (lunch) which is usually a warm meal, dinner traditionally consists of cold foods . A typical Swiss Znacht is sometimes also called " Café comple...

In this mini series about Swiss meals, I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland:  Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht . What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll write about  Zvieri . What exactly is a 'Zvieri'? Zvieri  is a Swiss German word and literally translates to ' at four '. It refers to a small meal or snack Swiss people eat around 4 pm. This snack is customary for almost everyone in Switzerland; school children, families, working people and university students all like to enjoy a Zvieri at some point during the afternoon. A real Zvieri must be eaten mid-afternoon. The unofficial time range for a Zvieri is 3 pm to 5 pm. If a meal is eaten before 2 pm or after 6 pm it is usually considered Zmittag (lunch) or Znacht (dinner) .  What do the Swiss eat at their 'Zvieri'? Much like the Swiss  Znüni ,  a Zvieri is more like a snack than an actual full meal ...

In this mini series I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland:  Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht . What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll write about  lunch . A Swiss Zmittag Zmittag is the Swiss German word for lunch and is a short form of "zu Mittag" which means "at noon". This also implies that in Switzerland Zmittag is eaten at mid-day which means exactly at 12.00 and not 12.15 pm or even later. Our stomachs will start rumbling if they don't get filled at the usual time.  Swiss punctuality is the key ! What is special about Swiss Zmittag? In Switzerland, the time between 12am - 1pm is considered a quiet time or rest time . Any kind of loud noise is not allowed during this time. Lawn mowing and drilling holes in the wall are frowned upon. Some people even consider it rude to call someone on the phone during this hour although mobile phones have changed this cu...

In this mini series I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland:  Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht . What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll write about Znüni . What is a Znüni? The Swiss German word Znüni is a short form of the German 'zu neun' which literally means 'at nine'. It refers to a small meal or a snack that is eaten at or around 9am. A non-literal translation for Znüni would be ' mid-morning snack' . Znüni is a custom all over Switzerland and exists in schools, companies and homes just the same. Some companies even encourage their employees to take a mid-morning break and enjoy a conversation and a cup of coffee with their colleagues because it supposedly improves productivity. In fact, Znüni is such a common thing in Switzerland that the word  Znüni  is also used in combination with other words: Znünibrot  (Znüni bread) Znünigipfeli (Znüni croiss...

In this mini series I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland:  Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht . What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll write about breakfast in Switzerland. Zmorge - Breakfast in Switzerland Zmorge is the Swiss German word for breakfast. It is an abbreviated form of the two German words "zu" (to, at) and "Morgen" (morning) and literally means " in the morning ". This obviously makes perfect sense, since breakfast is almost always eaten in the morning hours of the day. During the week, most Swiss people have their Zmorge between 6.30 am and 7.30 am, depending on what time school starts or what time they have to leave for work. On weekends, breakfast starts much later but the actual time depends largely on the person and things planned. My guess is that on weekends the average Swiss breakfast time is around 9 am but there really aren...