A gastronomic affair with Swiss cuisine

Each canton of Switzerland offers an array of regional favourites that give you more excuses to visit this picturesque country

Mention Switzerland and Swiss chocolate is probably one of the first images that will flash in your head. Daniel Peter and Henri Nestle can take some of the credit for that imagery. It was Nestle’s milk-condensation process that helped Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolatier to perfect his milk chocolate formulation in the 1870s. Peter and Nestle formed a successful partnership as Nestle marketed the first milk chocolate. The Swiss chocolate industry hasn’t looked back since then. But there’s more to Swiss culinary treats than chocolate.

National dish in the national capital

“It’s the most beautiful city we’ve ever seen” — celebrated German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote in a letter to his friend in 1779. Not a lot has changed in Bern since that letter was written. Switzerland’s charming capital was devastated in a fierce fire in 1405 but painstakingly rebuilt with grey sandstone and cobbled streets. It was in these streets, at Barenplatz where a signboard with ‘traditional Swiss cuisine’ caught my attention. I picked the Rösti, one of Switzerland’s best-known dishes (that also shows up occasionally on hotel menus and buffets in India). This flat, hot potato cake was a breakfast staple for farmers in the Bern canton.

Now it’s an all-day dish that scores with its universal appeal. Who can resist grated potatoes fried in warm butter?

A slice of Italy in Switzerland

Lugano ranks high on the list of my Swiss comfort zones. I still remember my first impressions of the capital Switzerland’s only Italian canton (Ticino), it was nothing like the Switzerland I knew. Palms in the middle of town and a gelateria at Lake Lugano that dishes out sinful gelatos. Lugano’s culinary offerings and local food market in the heart of town make it a gourmand’s paradise.

My first meal was at Morchino, an authentic Ticinese Grotto (an eatery ensconced within a cave) just outside Lugano. No Michelin star chefs here, just the family Oligati, who have been running this restaurant since 1842. The Oligati family continues to showcase fine ingredients from the Ticino canton. The polenta in Ticino is a national favourite and is served here with rabbit. A quick boat ride along Lake Lugano the next day transported me to another Grotto with a view. The Grotto San Rocco offers sweeping views of the lake and the region’s most famous mountain — San Salvatore. It’s here that I sampled a Ticinese-style risotto, the finest risotto I’ve sampled outside of Milan.

The playground of the famous

This is where winter tourism probably first took off in the 1860s. With its four main peaks, 350 kilometres of pistes (ski-runs), 200 kilometres of cross-country ski trails, you never run out of options in St Moritz; it’s been a hub for Europe’s rich and famous over the decades. It was the English who put St Moritz on the winter tourism map. It might be their predilection for evening tea that might have helped the romance around Nusstorte (nut pastry), Switzerland’s iconic pastry. Most locals pointed me to Hanselmann, a popular local establishment with a century-old history. Hanselmann’s frontage is one of the finest examples of Sgraffito, a creative scratching technique that was brought here by migrant workers from Italy in the 16th Century. Legends surround the origins of this recipe that has been perfected in Hanselmann. This crunchy, chewy pastry with a walnut filling also makes a perfect gift to carry back home thanks to its long shelf life (close to 100 days). St Moritz is a great spot for dessertarians (this best describes me); look for Swiss goodies like the Berliner, Erdbeer Schifi (Strawberry boat) and the delicately crafted Vermicelles perched on a meringue base. The praline chocolates in Hauser’s are a local legend.

The picture-perfect Swiss village

If I had to pick one of my favourite villages in Switzerland, it would be Zermatt, that is also close to the Matterhorn peak. Don’t be surprised if you are greeted by a horse-drawn carriage on arrival, Zermatt is ‘car-free’, only a small fleet of battery-operated taxis ferry locals and tourists around. Take a walk around Hinterdorf an old neighbourhood that transports you back a few hundred years with its old storehouses and charming wooden houses. It was in Zermatt that I tried a culinary signature from the Valais canton. Locals sit around a slow fire in the cool months and sip on wine as the raclette cheese begins to melt layer by layer. You toss in accompaniments like pickled onions, vegetables, jacket potatoes and meat. You can buy a small version of the raclette grill at large supermarkets and try this once you’re back home. In the winter months, it’s fondue time. Indulge in this great Swiss tradition in Zermatt.