Discovering Switzerland’s culinary heritage A new, inspiring encyclopedia showcases hundreds of culinary specialities from various regions in Switzerland as well as the stories behind them. To preserve valuable knowledge for posterity. And – writes author Paul Imhof – because a country also defines itself through its food. ipes. Imhof: “What used to be a type of food eaten by the poor has become a popular speciality.” Investigating and documenting Why study Switzerland’s culinary heritage? And how? The Vaud National Councillor Josef Zisyadis got the ball SUSANNE WENGER The book covers 700 pages and contains 453 different entries – from Alpenbitter to Zigerkrapfen. There is a lot of material. Can the author name one of his favourite items? How about Chèvre? “A real discovery,” Imhof calls it. Chèvre is a sparkling digestif from French-speaking Switzerland that dates back three generations or more. A handful of vignerons in Geneva still produce it at harvest time. Imhof visited one such grower, where he learned how rice flour, grape sugar, eau de vie, and vanilla pods are added to grape juice that has started to ferment. The blend continues to ferment for at least a month in a barrel reinforced with steel hoops. “The vessel would explode otherwise.” This produces a sparkling beverage that is ready to drink by New Year’s Eve. Fresh on tap, the white liquid shoots out almost like milk from a goat’s udder. Chèvre is French for goat. Another of Imhof’s discoveries is Furmagin da Cion from Val Poschiavo, a valley in the Italianspeaking part of the canton of Grisons. Cion means pig in the local dialect, while the name Furmagin derives from a type of cheese called Formaggetta. But Furmagin da Cion is not a dairy product but a meat speciality. Every local family traditionally used to make their own Furmagin during pig slaughtering, using the inferior cuts and the offal. They would bake it in the oven like a cake. Nose-to-tail eating is now a trend but was par for the course back then. Butchers in Poschiavo still produce Furmagin to this day – and have refined their rec- “Switzerland’s culinary wealth is regional in character.” Pictured here: an artistically arranged Genevan tableau. The wine glasses contain Chèvre. Photos: Echtzeit Verlag, provided From the southern valleys of Grisons: traditional Coppa ham from home-slaughtered pigs, and Pizzoccheri – a pasta made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour. Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 10 Society
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