Episode 1 of "Swiss specialities you should have tried".

Switzerland has lots of delicious dishes and recipes that you should definitely try. In this video series, I will take you on a culinary tour of Switzerland. For each canton, I'll introduce you to a speciality that I think you should definitely try.

Below you will also find the content of the video in text form. More entertaining and richer in images is of course the video with English subtitles.

Zurich

Let's start with something familiar first. A few more special dishes will come later. Züri Geschnetzeltes is a very well-known Swiss classic that is also known abroad and eaten with pleasure all over Switzerland. The Geschnetzeltes is tender veal and fine mushrooms served with a creamy cream sauce and Rösti. Rice, noodles or mashed potatoes are also available as a side dish.

Bern

I have just mentioned it as a side dish. But Berner Rösti is also very good as a main course and can be spiced up even more with a few additions. Every Swiss has his or her own favourite. For the classic version, all you need are potatoes, preferably from the day before, and some salt.

Lucerne

This canton is not only famous for the carnival, but also for the Lucerne Chügelipastete or Fritschipastete. Prepared correctly, it is a real eye-catcher. The pastry is made of puff pastry and the filling is a ragout of veal meatballs, onions, mushrooms and creamy cream sauce. The side dish is usually peas and carrots.

Uri

You can get the extremely delicious Älplermagronen at almost every mountain hut. It is also easy to cook and very filling. Whether or not it has to be assigned to Uri is debatable. But what probably not everyone knows is that without the Gotthard tunnel, this dish would probably not exist. The foundation stone was laid when Italian workers brought their usual pasta to central Switzerland. However, the dish was not created until much later, when pasta was produced industrially in Switzerland and thus became affordable for everyone. The mixture with ingredients available from the alpine dairymen on the alp gave us this very tasty dish.

Schwyz

The name of the Schwyzer Heusuppe (Schwyz hay soup) already reveals what special ingredient is hidden in it. That's right: fresh mountain hay. The soup also contains lots of herbs, cream, bouillon and prosecco or, depending on the recipe, white wine. The hay as the main ingredient sounds special, but it is very tasty.

Obwalden & Nidwalden

In the case of Ofetori, it was very difficult for me to say which canton it should be assigned to. If you ask someone from Nidwalden, they'll assign it to Nidwalden, and if you ask someone from Obwalden, they'll assign it to Obwalden. In addition, there are many variations. But one thing is for sure: you should have tried it. Ofetori is a hearty gratin made of mashed potatoes, egg and cheese, refined with bacon sticks.

Glarus

Of course, the well-known sour milk cheese Schabziger must not be missing from a Glarus dish. This cheese gives the Glarus Ziger-Hörnli a very special aroma. The main ingredient of this nutritious delicacy is Hörnli. These are mixed with a mixture of cream, Emmentaler or Gruyère and of course plenty of Schabziger. Finally, a large portion of onion rings roasted in butter is sprinkled on top. If you would like more information about Schabziger, I will link you to a video in the info box at the top right in which I talk more intensively about Schabziger.

Zug

Yes, I know, there is a well-known sweet dish here. But we don't want any heartburn, so we'll stick to the savoury main courses for now. All joking aside, of course we won't. Zug is also known for delicious fish, but here it's all about the cherry. You should try the Zug cherry tart. The cake has a buttercream filling flavoured with kirsch. And, of course, there's also a generous layer of icing sugar.

Solothurn

An old regional speciality of the canton of Solothurn is Funggi. The dish has nothing to do with the Italian word for mushroom, but comes from the dialect for to push together. Solothurn Funggi is a mashed potato that is refined with apples and seasoned with cream. The dish is traditionally garnished with toasted bread cubes. It is often eaten as a side dish with a ragout or roast.

Basel-City & Basel-Country

It is difficult to distinguish between these two half-cantons when it comes to cuisine. For this reason, I have taken both together in this video. I'm sure some of you are expecting the familiar soup. But I know something much better: Basler Laubfrösche. These are fine cabbage rolls with a well-seasoned meat filling. The preparation requires a bit of flair, but it's worth the effort in terms of taste.

Schaffhausen

In Basel we left out the soup. But in Schaffhausen we don't do that now. The Schaffhausen Riesling soup, is made with lots of white wine, onion, leek, potatoes and usually also celery. The slightly acidic soup has a very appetising effect and is therefore very suitable as a starter.

Appenzell Ausserrhoden & Appenzell Innerrhoden

Since we have already dealt with the other half-cantons in this way, we don't want to be unfair and combine these two half-cantons as well. Appenzeller Siedwurst has been part of the inventory of Switzerland's culinary heritage since 2003. It is a light-coloured boiled sausage seasoned with caraway and made from beef and pork, sometimes also with veal. It is typically served as a side dish of "Chäshörnli" with onion roux and apple mousse.

In the second part of the series, we'll look at the remaining specialities from the cantons we haven't yet mentioned, especially those from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. If I know you, you also have lots of other delicious specialities in store. Please write them down in the comments on YouTube. If you liked the video, I'd be happy to receive a Like and a subscription.