Asterisk Podcast
Episode #7
Swiss food with author Andie Pilot

Topics covered

  • The main meal in Switzerland
  • Top things to try when you visit
  • Unusual Swiss foods
  • Swiss beer
  • Swiss cookies and the stories behind them

 

Who We're Speaking With

In this episode we have something a little different for you, which is a talk with the author Andie Pilot.

Andie is a trained pastry chef with a Swiss mother who grew up in Canada and moved to Switzerland in 2010. She started a blog about Swiss food called Helvetic Kitchen in 2015. Since then, she has published three books: Helvetic Kitchen, Drink Like the Swiss, and Swiss Cookies. Today, she lives in the bucolic Emmental valley.

 

About the Episode

One of the great things about Switzerland is the delicious food. Although the country is known for its cheese and chocolate, these aren’t the only things you can enjoy. From craft beer to unique cookies, Switzerland is a country of culinary delights.

Great foods and drinks to try are:

  • Cheeses: There are so many different types of cheeses, from the popular ones also sold abroad to niche ones produced only in a small region of Switzerland. When you visit, try a variety of different hard and soft cheeses to get an idea of the various flavours.
    • Fondue: One of the most popular cheese dishes is fondue, bread dipped in melted cheese. This is served mainly in the winter.
  • Pies: Swiss pies come in many varieties. While some are savoury, like the Bernese onion pies, others are made with fresh fruit from the orchard.
  • Paprika chips: These crisps are sold almost everywhere in Switzerland. They are more popular than plain ones or other flavours.
  • Kägi Fret: This delicious treat is like a high-class KitKat. It consists of thin wafers robed in chocolate and is a great snack to take on your next hiking or skiing trip.
  • Cookies: Kambly is a famous cookie manufacturer located in the Emmental Valley. They produce a wide range of cookies, including the iconic Brezeli, a flat-pressed plain cookie that’s very popular with the Swiss. Another well-known dessert is the hard-pressed cookie from Willisau. It’s so hard it’s allegedly the favourite cookie of dentists around the country because you’ll definitely need dental work after trying it.
  • Beer: Switzerland has the highest per capita number of breweries in the world. Check out some microbreweries in the areas you’re visiting. A great one is the Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes in canton Jura.

 

Resources

Andie Pilot

Helvetic Kitchen

Andie’s books

The Emmental Valley

Zweifel Paprika crisps

Die Spargelzeit

Die Wildzeit

Älplermagronen

Käseschnitte

Fondue

Raclette

Le Gruyere

Schabziger, cheese from canton Glarus

Wähe

The Zibelemärit Onion market in Bern

Kägi Fret

Restaurant Degenried

Cholera

Val-de-Travers

Absynthe museum

The absinthe trail

Jambon cuit dans l’asphalte

La presta asphalt mines

Saint Barbara miners and artillery

Brasserie de Franches Montagnes (BFM)

Jérôme Rebetez

The Swiss beer cartel

The Kambly factory

The Willisauer Ringli Love Story

Cafe Amrein

Zürich’s Honey Tirggel

 

Next steps

If you got something out of the podcast then please leave a review on your favourite platform. Thank you for listening.

Check out current job opportunities in Switzerland

Send us a spontaneous application

Sign up for our newsletter and receive our Living in Switzerland Welcome ebook guide.