The recent spell of dry and warm weather in Switzerland could lead to shortages of a number of crops, farmers have warned.

"/> The recent spell of dry and warm weather in Switzerland could lead to shortages of a number of crops, farmers have warned.

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FARMING

Dry weather spell threatens Swiss veggies

The recent spell of dry and warm weather in Switzerland could lead to shortages of a number of crops, farmers have warned.

Dry weather spell threatens Swiss veggies

The pleasant weather enjoyed by Switzerland might have been a boon for most people, but vegetable producers say it will push up the prices of carrots, broccoli, fennel and other produce.

According to the Swiss daily 20 Minuten, some seeds are being damaged by the lack of rain and estimates indicate that the yield this year will be lower than usual.

The 3,300 arable farms in Switzerland produce around 250,000 tonnes of fresh vegetables, mainly carrots, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

The consequence for consumers is likely to be a spike in vegetable prices. “If the good weather persists, prices will go up in ten days,” Monika Weibel, a spokeswoman for Migros, a local supermarket chain, was quoted as saying by the paper. 

However, other experts say there’s no reason to panic.

Beat Stierli, the director of the Association of Vegetable Growers VSGP told 20 Minuten that good weather provides for optimal growing conditions for some types of crop, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. He also added that favourable conditions have allowed the asparagus season to start earlier than usual.

FOOD AND DRINK

France and Switzerland locked in conflict over ‘fourth’ chocolate

A fourth chocolate - 'blond' - has been slowly making inroads into French confectionary, but has failed to win official recognition and faces competition from a pink Swiss variety.

France and Switzerland locked in conflict over 'fourth' chocolate

Blond chocolate was born from an accident.

French pastry chef Frederic Bau was demonstrating his skills at an exhibition in Japan, and left his white chocolate warming a little too long in a bain-marie… four days, to be precise.

“By chance, by magic… it became blond! This chocolate appeared with an incredible colour and smell”, recalls Bau, who is creative director for chocolatier Valrhona.

Bau immediately smelled the commercial potential of this happy blunder, but it took seven years of testing to perfect its unique aromatic qualities and consistency.

The recipe remains a secret but has been officially registered by Valrhona, and is sold under the name Dulcey since 2012.

However, the basic chemistry is well-understood. It is the “Maillard reaction”, a sequence of chemical reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars, causing browning and aromas that are close to toasting.

Blond chocolate has the milky fattiness of white chocolate but is much less sweet, with a soft caramel flavour and an aftertaste of roasted coffee.

French pastry chefs tend to snub white chocolate, associating it with the big slabs they gobbled as children.

But blond opens up new possibilities.

“It’s very different from other chocolates. It gives a very biscuity, very delicious taste,” Nice-based pastry chef Philippe Tayac, who combines it with hazelnuts for a tartlet, told AFP.

Bau combines it as a pure fondant dessert with freshly roasted apples and a Tahitian vanilla cream, and he also recommends “breaking it up” with more distinct fruity combinations, such as citrus or red fruit.

Despite efforts, Valrhona has not managed to convince French lawmakers to reopen its legal definitions.

So blond remains formally just another type of white chocolate, which was the last to be legally recognised – after dark and milk chocolate – after its invention in the 1930s by Switzerland’s Nestlé.

And France’s Alpine neighbours are not waiting to be beaten to the punch on a fourth variety.

Valrhona’s key competitor in the world of professional-grade chocolate, Swiss giant Barry Callebaut, launched a marketing campaign in 2017 for its own fourth type: this one bright pink and derived from Ruby cocoa beans grown in Ecuador, Brazil and Ivory Coast.

Barry Callebaut calls its Ruby chocolate “the biggest innovation in chocolate in 80 years”.

The company was diplomatic when asked about the rivalry by AFP, saying in a statement: “The best chocolate in the world is the one that gives you a moment of indulgence – no matter where it was produced and no matter the colour.”

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