PAUL IMHOF: “Das kulinarische Erbe der Schweiz – Ein Panoptikum des Ess- und Trinkbaren”, Echtzeit Verlag, Basel, 2024, 776 pages, CHF 78 No Swiss culinary encyclopedia is complete without chocolate, of which Fribourg’s Cailler is Switzerland’s oldest brand. rolling 25 years ago. “Zisyadis submitted a motion to prevent Switzerland’s culinary traditions and knowledge from being forgotten,” Imhof explains. The Federal Council and parliament approved the motion, and a team of experts commissioned by the government and the cantons started work. They scoured libraries and archives, spoke to producers and built up a catalogue of products, preparation methods, and recipes. The results of their investigative work were published online at www.patrimoineculinaire.ch in 2008. Imhof, now 72, was involved from the outset. The journalist took it upon himself to produce a readable guide book based on this detailed online inventory. Five volumes were published in 2016, some of which sold out. His latest work is an updated, complete edition. It covers new items that have since met the requirement of having been available for at least 40 years. Ticino rice is one example – thanks to climate change, the author notes. Imhof’s writing is humorous and rich in information. The author supplements his entries with historical facts and lively anecdotes that he has researched himself. Structured by canton, his book takes the reader on an educational journey through Switzerland’s diverse culinary heritage, where myriad domestic and outside influences intersect. There is no such thing as a Swiss national dish, he says. “Switzerland’s culinary wealth is regional in character.” The role of the land Nevertheless, the undulating nature of Switzerland’s own patchwork landscape was a key influence in itself. Arable land used to be scarce before many of the country’s waterways were artificially straightened. According to Imhof, widespread livestock farming meant that the Swiss were masters at preserving food. Milk was preserved as cheese, and meat was turned into sausages or dried into ham – building up provisions that could be sold immediately. Sbrinz, “the oldest Swiss cheese export”, was transported across the Alps to the markets of northern Italy. Schabziger herbal cheese from the canton of Glarus found its way to the markets of Zurich. “A land or country always defines itself by what it eats,” says Imhof. Switzerland’s rich culinary heritage is born of resourcefulness, he continues. Commercial products like Aromat, the famous yellow powdered seasoning, or Rivella, the quintessentially Swiss fizzy drink derived from whey, are as much a part of our repertoire as Birchermüesli and grandma’s lebkuchen recipes. In this age of ready-made meals, additives, and social media food porn, Imhof believes that a return to the tried and trusted is more important than ever. The book is also a eulogy to the original guardians of good taste – “the farmSwiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 11
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