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TRADITION

Six common myths about Swiss food you need to stop believing

Unlike France and Italy, Switzerland is not known for its gastronomy. But if you live here, you have probably heard some of these myths.

Published: 26 March 2021 15:20 CET
Updated: 9 October 2023 15:47 CEST
Six common myths about Swiss food you need to stop believing
This 'Swiss' cheese is Emmentaler. Photo by Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP

While there’s nothing really ‘mythical’ about Swiss food, some myths need to be dispelled anyway.

Let’s face it — unlike France and Italy, Switzerland is not known for its gastronomy.

But if you live here, you need to get some facts straight about the food you eat (or even the food you wouldn’t touch).

Myth 1: The Swiss don’t call ‘Swiss cheese’ Swiss cheese

Just as there isn’t such a thing as Swiss language, there also isn’t a singular ‘Swiss’ cheese.

In many countries, any cheese with holes is called ‘Swiss’, but in Switzerland that ‘holey’ cheese is Emmentaler.

If you visit Switzerland and ask for Swiss cheese, all you’ll get is a blank stare. 

Myth 2: Swiss food is bland

If you believe Swiss food has no ‘kick’ to it, just try Cenovis.

This brown sandwich paste made of yeast, invented in 1931 in the canton of Aargau, is so salty, it can only be eaten when a thick layer of butter is spread on a slice of bread.

For those who have never tried it, according to the bastion of knowledge that is Wikipedia, Cenovis “is similar to English Marmite, Brazilian Cenovit, and Australian Vegemite”. 

According to the company itself, Cenovis’ history is closely tied to that of the amber ale. 

“In 1931, a brewer recycled the yeast used for the fermentation of beer: vegetal substances very rich in vitamin B1. After several tests, the product was perfected and a group of Swiss brewers launched Cenovis; the product was an immediate success and the famous spread was so good that from 1955 it was included in the rations for Swiss soldiers… Healthy and strong soldiers!”[1]

Still, Cenovis sandwiches are quite popular in Switzerland.

Myth 3: Swiss-produced food is better than foreign food

While many people will gladly commute across the border to France, Italy, and German to buy cheaper food, others would much rather pay higher prices for the “Made in Switzerland” label.

They claim local foods are of higher quality and taste better than imported ones.

It is not quite clear whether this is a myth, but there’s no scientific proof that either side is right or wrong.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you and your tastebuds. 

Myth 4: ‘Swiss Miss’ is not Swiss at all

American tourists plonking down at a Swiss cafe and asking for a glass of Swiss Miss are likely to be in for a rude shock when they realise the American hot chocolate drink is not Swiss at all. 

In fact, Swiss Miss is not well known outside of the US – and particularly not in Switzerland. 

Swiss Miss was invented in the 1950s by a Sicilian immigrant to the United States. Originally it was served only on airplanes, but eventually became so popular that you’ll find it in pantries all across the United States.

As for why it got that name, your guess is as good as ours. 

Myth 5: The Swiss haven’t invented any foods or drinks

OK, so Swiss Miss isn’t a Swiss invention, but actually, the Swiss have had an important role in culinary innovation. 

Perhaps the most famous Swiss food is muesli – otherwise known as birchermüsli – which was invented by Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner in 1900.

The cereal made of oats, grains, nuts, seeds and fresh or dried fruits grew in popularity and now can be found the world over. 

Photo by Annie Spratt , Unsplash

Another (in)famous Swiss invention is instant coffee, which is now found in the back of cupboards the world over. 

READ MORE: How Switzerland won the race to invent instant coffee

Besides Cenovis mentioned above, there is the Aromat powdered seasoning. There is hardly a household in Switzerland that doesn’t have this condiment in the kitchen.

It is most commonly used on boiled or hard-cooked eggs.

Knorr

And let’s not forget Rivella, the quintessential Swiss soda drink made from milk whey.

It is said that only those who were born and bred in Switzerland actually enjoy the unusual taste of this drink.  But that, too, may be a myth.

Myth 6: If it sounds appetising, then it must be

Actually, the opposite is true as well.

Take, for example, cholera.

Yes, cholera. While you may naturally be put off by this name, it is actually a delicious savoury pie, which just happened to be invented during the cholera epidemic in the 19th century.

It combines cheese with various vegetables, and is a hearty meal by itself.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Cheeses face the heat at Raclette World Championships in Switzerland

Up in the Swiss Alps, the air hangs thick with the funk of hot cheese as the planet's best melt away the competition at the inaugural Raclette World Championships.

Published: 29 October 2023 09:22 CET
Updated: 30 October 2023 11:22 CET
Cheeses face the heat at Raclette World Championships in Switzerland

The Swiss native dish dates back centuries to a time when mountain herdsmen would heat their cheese on an open fire and scrape off the melted part to keep them going.

But never before have producers, experts and restauranteurs come together under one roof to determine which cheeses make the world’s finest raclette.

Nearly 90 cheeses were being put to the test this weekend in Morgins, a village in Wallis – the southwestern region considered the home of raclette.

“All these guys are small-scale producers who go up into the mountain pastures with their cows at the start of summer,” said the event’s founder Henri-Pierre Galletti. “It’s a way of validating their work, which is a hard job but a truly beautiful one,” he told AFP.

Morgins – more than 1,300 metres up in a wooded valley before the Alpine pass reaches France – welcomed thousands of raclette enthusiasts to witness the three-day contest, which culminates on Sunday with the winners crowned as champions.

The three-day event culminated on Sunday with the winners crowned champion.

Smooth and creamy

In the village hall’s kitchen, cheese half-wheels are grilled under electric raclette heaters. The grilling can take from 30 seconds upwards, depending on the cheese.

The cooking is done by eye, with a feel for how each cheese melts. Once it bubbles up – but just before it starts to brown – the melted cheese is scraped onto the plate, then whisked out to jurors.

“The taste is in the fat,” said racleur Jean-Michel Dubosson as he scraped off another serving with the back of his knife. “It’s important not to heat it too quickly.”

While the kitchen is bustling, the tasting hall is a place of reverent silence. Judges twirl the cheese around the fork before tasting. Many wore traditional black with a red neckerchief, though one sported an “In raclette we trust” hat. The atmosphere is slow, relaxed.

“We are looking for a raclette that is creamy, smooth, has a nice appearance, a nice colour,” said Eddy Baillifard, known as the “pope of raclette” and one of the supreme jury final round judges. “And in terms of taste, a nice texture, no thread, no strings, no gum.”

Judges sample a maximum of 15 cheeses in a sitting – about as much as one can handle before the sense of taste peaks, not to mention the volume. Between raclettes, hot black tea or sliced red apples neutralise the palate.

The judges rank each cheese from one to five on appearance, texture, taste and aroma, and overall impression.

Good company

The three categories are raclette with raw Alpine milk (open to cheeses made in Alpine pastures between June 15 and July 15); raw milk raclette; and other raclette cheeses.

Most of the cheeses were from Switzerland, and if not then from the neighbouring French Alps. However, cheeses from Belgium, Canada, Italy and Romania were also in contention.

Producers from Britain, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Kyrgyzstan are interested in coming next time.

“To be here representing Romania, it’s a big thing for us,” said Narcis Pintea, 34, who learned his craft in Switzerland before taking his skills back home.

Besides the competition, he was relishing the chance to talk with other cheesemakers, as well as the judges to improve his chances in future.

A giant Saint Bernard dog kept watch at the door, and outside a few thousand raclette enthusiasts sampled numerous freshly-melted cheeses to the sound of a cowbell ringing team.

One stallholder had got through 60 kilograms of cheese before lunchtime was even over.

“A day without raclette is a wasted day,” said Baillifard. “There are several ingredients that make raclette so enjoyable, but the main thing is the people you share it with. When you’re in good company, the raclette is already 80 percent a success.”

Cheese champions

The championships had three categories.

Alpage de Tanay, from Wallis, won the most hotly-contested crown for raclette with raw Alpine milk, a category only open to cheeses made in Alpine pastures between June 15th and July 15th.

Fromagerie Le Pont, also from Wallis, won the title for best raw milk raclette.

Fromagerie Seiler Selection by Wyssmuller Maître Fromager, from the Obwalden region in central Switzerland, took the final crown for other raclette cheeses.

A giant Saint Bernard dog kept watch at the door, and in the festival tents outside, raclette lovers sampled numerous freshly-melted cheeses to the sound of a cowbell ringing team.

More than 30,000 raclettes were served to the public, accompanied by four tonnes of boiled potatoes and six pallets of gherkins and onions.

“A day without raclette is a day wasted,” said Baillifard.

“There are several ingredients that make raclette so enjoyable, but the main thing is the people you share it with. When you’re in good company, the raclette is already 80 percent a success,” he added.

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