11 Dishes Worth Travelling To Switzerland For

No doubt when you think of Switzerland, you’ll think of smooth, luxury chocolate and maybe a healthy dose of cheese, preferably not mixing the two together. But beyond these obvious dishes there’s a whole world of food waiting to be discovered within the Alpine country. Here, we’ve brought you 11 dishes that’ll make you want to pack your bags straight away.

Fondue

Things don’t get much more Swiss than a cheese fondue. The Swiss love this dish, so much so that it’s their national dish. Eating fondue, basically melted cheese in a pot, is a communal affair and comes with its own rules and regulations. This highly filling meal is a great way to get a deep-dive into Swiss Alpine traditions.

Älplermagronen

Rösti

Eaten primarily in the German-speaking cantons, Rösti is a potato heavy dish that’s cooked in hot butter or fat and smoothed over with cheese. These days you can find Rösti across the country.

Muesli

Breakfast is arguably the best meal of the day. Switzerland is where you’ll find plenty of agreement on this as it’s where muesli, a mix of milk, honey with nuts and dried fruit, was born. Nowadays you can find this nutritious and healthy dish almost anywhere around the world, but there’s nothing quite like the way the Swiss do it.

Saucisson Vaudois

Head to the canton of Vaud, near Lake Geneva, for some of the best sausages in Switzerland. Saucisson Vaudois is one of speciality meats that you must try and its usually served up with some light vegetables and a little sauce. There are however, plenty of other fine Swiss sausages to sample in this part of the country.

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes

The people of Zurich bring you Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, a dish that combines thin strips of veal with a healthy portion of rösti and a smooth sauce of mushrooms or white wine and cream.

Cholera

Before you turn up your nose at this one, which granted has a rather unfortunate name, you should give it a shot. It’s a mish-mash of egg, potatoes, flour and a handful of other vegetables, which are cooked in pastry. The dish comes from the Valais region and dates back to the 1830s when Switzerland was in the midst of a cholera epidemic. Locals chucked any leftovers they had to hand into a pastry and this interesting dish was born.

Bündnerfleisch

An age old tradition of air-drying meat in the eastern part of Switzerland continues to this day. That’s basically bündnerfleisch, meat that’s been left out in the Alpine air for several weeks (usually between 10-15 weeks at a time) to give it a rich and totally unique texture and flavour. However, this delicacy doesn’t come cheap.

Basler Leckerlie

Basel’s favourite sweet treat, Basler Leckerlie is a hard biscuit packed with flavour. Ingredients may vary but usually it includes nuts, honey and a slathering of Kirsch, a fruit brandy that’s all the rage in Switzerland.

Raclette

Like fondue, but with a little more variety, raclette is a mainstay in the Swiss culinary experience. Many families have their own raclette making machines which come with little trays to grill your cheese. Generally, the cheese is eaten with onions, gherkins, potatoes and a variety of meats. In restaurants, they’ll keep refilling your plate until you’ve eaten your fill.

Bűndnernusstorte

Hailing from the canton of Graubűnden, Bűndnernusstorte is a nut-laden pastry dish that’s heavy on the sugar. It’s rich, packed with cream and a sure-fire must-try for anyone who wants to step away from chocolate for a little while.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.