Culinary rarities of Switzerland: sausage potatoes and dried pig’s head

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When it comes to food, nothing says Switzerland like cheese, chips and chocolate. But our cuisine offers more than that: Dishes that are now almost forgotten were made all over the country. Traces of the country’s culinary borders are sought.

Cured pig’s foot or pig’s head. In one piece. With its shell. Admittedly today Gnagi seems adventurous to some. It was an integral part of the menu in Switzerland until a few decades ago. Especially after the butcher’s day in autumn, all parts of the pig were made cookable and edible, not just the tender loin. Today Gnagi are only for hardened carnivores. Butcher shops sell it almost exclusively on demand.

The name is confusing. The buttery puff pastry from Kandertal in the canton of Bern is not blue at all, but rather sweet and fatty. It is mainly eaten with a snack or appetizer. But the tradition is waning: only a few communities throughout Kander still cook the traditional dish, once favored in the region over croissants or hazelnut croissants.

Fish called gang fish are rare. And only in Ermatingen TG. It is cold smoked, including the insides. To obtain the best possible quality, it should be caught in winter, just before spawning. It used to be successfully exported as the “Häring of Lake Constance”; The roots of the recipe date back to the Middle Ages. Today it is only available locally and over a few days.

The main ingredients of the Graubsunu sausage are “mashed potatoes and sausage puree”. It was created in Surselva in a time of need; In the 19th century, meat was expensive and sausages had to be made with potatoes. With increasing prosperity, the potato sausage all but disappeared around 1950. However, today there is a revival; even small butcher shops produce several hundred each week.

Bread is eaten on All Saints’ Day in Ticino. The list of ingredients is long: flour, cinnamon, chestnuts, cocoa, honey, almonds, pine nuts, lemon peel, figs, candied fruits. There are so many ingredients for a single roll that anything goes in Ticino compared to the rest of the world. The bread of the dead shines with life.

Vaud wine, Gâteau du vin, is a shortcrust pastry consisting of two main ingredients: white wine and sugar. There are reasons why fruit, cream or the like might be missing (as is often the case with cakes or tarts): wine tart is a classic recipe for using up leftovers. It is very popular especially in winter months. Especially in the past, there was a shortage of fresh fruit. But candy and opened wine bottles are not like that.

There are more special dishes in Switzerland than you think. The association “Swiss Culinary Heritage” lists more than 400 traditional dishes. Some were created out of necessity, some to use up leftovers, and some for special occasions. But the same goes for everyone: typically Switzerland!

Source : Blick