Swiss cuisine — fondue, raclette, chocolate, cheese, alpine tradition. Diverse across 4 language regions (DE/FR/IT/RO).
Cheese — National Tradition
Swiss cheese world-famous — Gruyère, Emmental (with holes), Appenzeller, Tilsit, Sbrinz, Tête de Moine, Vacherin. Cheese production 1500+ farms. AOP (protected designation of origin) for many varieties.
Fondue and Raclette
Fondue moitié-moitié (Gruyère + Vacherin Fribourgeois, white wine, kirsch, garlic). Raclette — Valais cheese, melted, with jacket potatoes, gherkins, silverskin onions. Winter traditions.
Main Dishes
Rösti (grated potatoes, fried — Bern/Zurich), Älplermagronen (alpine macaroni with cheese, potatoes, applesauce), Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (veal in cream sauce), Capuns (Graubünden — chard rolls), Cervelat (national sausage).
Chocolate
World chocolate leader. Lindt, Toblerone, Cailler (oldest Swiss brand, 1819), Nestlé (milk chocolate inventor 1875 Daniel Peter), Sprüngli. Per capita consumption 12kg/year (world record).
Bread and Breakfast
Zopf (Sunday bread, braided), Bürli, Valais rye bread. Breakfast often with Bircher müesli (invented Maximilian Bircher-Benner 1900, original recipe with soaked oats, apple, nuts). Ovomaltine (Bern 1904).
Swiss Wine
Little known abroad (95% drunk at home). Chasselas — Valais specialty. Heida (highest vineyard in Europe, Visperterminen 1150m). Red wines: Pinot Noir Valais.
Regional Cuisines
French Switzerland: fondue, papet vaudois (leek with potatoes), Filets de perche. Ticino (Italian): polenta, risotto, coniglio in umido. Graubünden: pizokel, capuns, Bündnerfleisch (air-dried beef).