Small land, big taste
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Swiss chefs are creative with sausage: This one is made from lake fish, but after smoking there is no "fishy" taste.[Photo provided to China Daily] |
Dense syrups and compotes－and zesty liqueurs－make the most of regional apricots, plums and sweet black cherries that are harvested and preserved for later baking or simply spreading on crusty fresh bread. After munching a kirschtorte (cherry cake made with an indecent amount of almond paste and butter cream), I make sure to collect a bottle of the kirsch to take home. If I am not ambitious enough to make the cake when I get to my Beijing kitchen, the cherry liqueur can simply be added to a glass of sparkling wine for easy enjoyment.
Other sweet treats must be savored on the spot. Apple strudel is easy to find in Swiss cafes, but a more specifically local treat was the Botzi pear, a treasure of the Gruyere region. Gruyere, of course, produces a great cheese－the country, in fact, produces more than 450 different types of cheese, almost all without the holes outsiders tend to associate with "Swiss" cheese. A dairy area that produces great cheese unsurprising also produces fresh cream, and Gruyere's super-thick version is popularly served with the local pear and meringues.
Then, of course, there is chocolate. The Swiss variety has been famous for a couple of centuries, thanks to folks like Henri Nestle, Jean Tobler and Rodolphe Lindt. Their names emblazon shops across the country, indeed the world－but surprisingly half of the chocolate made in Switzerland is eaten there. Lindt－where the founder invented the aeration process that makes chocolate candy melt in your mouth－is a key stop on Zurich's chocolate-themed tours. So is Cafe Sprungli, famous for Swiss sweets since 1836.
And what would a Swiss ski resort be without a fragrant cup of hot chocolate?
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