A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

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...

There are few things that define a culture as much as the traditions and customs surrounding its food. While there is some sort of "international food" by now, the traditional meals are obviously different in each country or region of this beautiful world. Think of Asian food and chopsticks and eating while sitting on the floor. Or a big fat hamburger eaten at a bar while watching a basketball game at a local brewery somewhere in the USA. A Peruvian enjoying his Ceviche at the beach with loud latin music in the background. Very different food, right?! But also very different settings for enjoying a meal! Of course, those are ideas and images that aren't always real and plenty of people prove that. However, in most places of the world there are certainly customs and even unwritten rules when it comes to food and how we should prepare and eat it. It's not only about what we eat but also about how and even when we eat that define different cultures. This is certainly tru...