Local Dishes

1. Rösti

   Rösti (pan-fried grated potato)

   Usage

   Grated potato fried in a pan, a classic Swiss side dish. Menus list the dish under this name.

   Grammar Note

   A noun; served as a side dish with meat or as a dish of its own

2. Fondue

   Fondue (melted cheese)

   Usage

   Bread dipped into cheese melted in a shared pot, eaten mostly in autumn and winter. Menus list the dish under this name.

   Grammar Note

   A noun borrowed from French, meaning melted

3. Raclette

   Usage

   Cheese melted at the cut face and scraped over boiled potatoes and pickles. Menus list the dish under this name.

   Grammar Note

   A noun from French racler, to scrape

4. Älplermagronen

   Älplermagronen (alpine macaroni)

   Usage

   A mountain dish of macaroni, potatoes, cheese, cream and onions, traditionally served with apple sauce

   Grammar Note

   Compound of Älpler (alpine herdsman) and Magronen (macaroni)

5. Zürcher Geschnetzeltes

   Zurich-style sliced veal in cream sauce

   Usage

   Thin slices of veal in a cream and mushroom sauce, usually served with Rösti. Menus list the dish under this name.

   Grammar Note

   Zürcher is the adjective of Zürich; Geschnetzeltes means something cut into thin slices

6. Cervelat

   Cervelat (Swiss sausage)

   Usage

   The most common sausage in Switzerland, made of beef and pork; it is usually grilled with the ends cut open

   Grammar Note

   A noun; French-speaking menus use the spelling Cervelas

7. St. Galler Bratwurst

   St. Gallen bratwurst

   Usage

   A pale veal sausage; locals say it is best eaten without mustard

   Grammar Note

   Galler is the adjective form of St. Gallen

8. Berner Platte

   Bernese platter

   Usage

   A heavy Bernese dish of sauerkraut and beans with several cuts of pork and sausages on one large plate

   Grammar Note

   Berner is the adjective of Bern; Platte means a large serving plate

9. Luzerner Chügelipastete

   Lucerne-style meat vol-au-vent

   Usage

   A Lucerne speciality of a puff pastry case filled with meat and vegetables in a creamy sauce

   Grammar Note

   Luzerner is the adjective of Luzern; Chügeli is a dialect form for little ball

10. Basler Mehlsuppe

    Basel flour soup

    Usage

    A plain soup of browned flour, eaten in Basel at the Fasnacht carnival, usually topped with cheese

    Grammar Note

    Compound of Mehl (flour) and Suppe (soup)

11. Bündner Gerstensuppe

    Graubünden barley soup

    Usage

    A warming soup of barley, vegetables and smoked meat from the canton of Graubünden

    Grammar Note

    Bündner is the adjective of Graubünden

12. Capuns

    Capuns (chard parcels)

    Usage

    A Graubünden dish of dough wrapped in chard leaves and cooked in milk. The name comes from Romansh

    Grammar Note

    A plural noun taken from Romansh

13. Gschwellti

    Gschwellti (jacket potatoes)

    Usage

    Potatoes boiled in their skins, a home dish served with cheese. The name is written in dialect

    Grammar Note

    A dialect noun; Standard German says Pellkartoffeln

14. Hörnli

    Hörnli (small elbow macaroni)

    Usage

    A small curved pasta that Swiss families eat with a minced-meat sauce and similar dishes

    Grammar Note

    Horn (horn) with the diminutive -li

15. Birchermüesli

    Bircher muesli

    Usage

    A breakfast of oats, grated apple and yoghurt, devised by the Zürich doctor Bircher-Benner

    Grammar Note

    Compound of the inventor's name Bircher and Müesli

16. Gipfeli

    Gipfeli (Swiss croissant)

    Usage

    A buttery crescent roll bought at the bakery for breakfast or a snack, good with coffee

    Grammar Note

    Gipfel (peak, point) with the diminutive -li

17. Emmentaler

    Emmentaler (cheese with holes)

    Usage

    A cheese from the Emmental region of the canton of Bern, known for its big holes and mild taste

    Grammar Note

    The place name Emmental with the ending -er

18. Appenzeller

    Appenzeller (herb-brined cheese)

    Usage

    A strong-smelling cheese ripened with a herb brine, a speciality of the Appenzell region

    Grammar Note

    The place name Appenzell with the ending -er

19. Sbrinz

    Sbrinz (hard cheese)

    Usage

    A hard, long-ripened cheese from central Switzerland, shaved thinly to eat or cook with

    Grammar Note

    A proper noun, the name of a cheese

20. Gruyère

    Gruyère (hard cheese)

    Usage

    A rich hard cheese often used for fondue; German-speaking shops use this French spelling

    Grammar Note

    From a French-speaking place name, written with the accent è

21. Tête de Moine

    Tête de Moine (monk's head)

    Usage

    A cheese shaved into rosettes with a special tool called a girolle, from the Jura region

    Grammar Note

    A French name used unchanged in German-speaking Switzerland, meaning monk's head

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