Verified Document

Food History In Switzerland Term Paper

Food History-Swiss The Food History of Switzerland's Cuisine

What is the geographical location of Switzerland and why it would have an affect on the Switzerland cuisine? (i.e., what is Switzerland's weather condition and what do they eat mostly, etc.)

The famously neutral nation of Switzerland is located in the center of Europe. According to the official Swiss Tourist Board, this "landlocked, mountainous" quality of nation has given the country its unique identity, not simply politically but culturally and in terms of its food. Because of its central position in continental Europe Switzerland's weather is influenced by the four main European air currents, from the Atlantic, the eastern continent, the northern sub-polar region and the Mediterranean south. The climate is temperate on the Swiss Central Plateau, and warmer and dryer in the South. The mountain climate, hilly terrain, and strong sense of the beauty of the outdoors have meant that Switzerland is especially noted for its fine cheeses and chocolate, but less for its meat-producing livestock. Large fatty livestock are hard to fatten in the mountains, causing the Swiss to favor goats, sheep, and smaller animals that produce dairy products. ("The Swiss Regions," 2005, myswitzerland.com)

Historically, which groups had an influence on the Switzerland cuisine?

The variety of cultural as well as geographical influences upon the land have influenced Switzerland's development of a food culture and have created a diverse array of languages to describe Swiss cuisine. Yet the food itself often uniformly reflects the hardiness of the environment and its people. German and French influences predominate the preparation, although certain regions in the more temperate zones are Italian in nature. Food ingredients, customs, and rituals vary, depending on the influence of these ethnic groups. But basic food items revolve around bread, dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter and cheese. Vegetables such as beans, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, and spinach are also used,...

Meat products that can be preserved over the winter, such as sausages and salamis made from veal, beef, pork, chicken or turkey are popular. For example, "regional specialties include viande sechee dried beef or pork from the French region of Valais and the German speaking Grisons produce another kind of dried, preserved beef jerky called Bundnerfleisch. ("Swiss Food & Dining," 2005, iExplore) These forms of preserved meats often come with side dishes including Rosti or shredded fried potatoes. Pasta is more popular in the Italian-speaking regions of the nation.
Today, different fruits are available from all over the world, but locally grown fruits are limited to those with thicker skins such as apples, pears, grapes and berries, from the mountain bushes such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, red currants and strawberries. Of course, in terms of sweets the second type of food besides cheese that Switzerland is world famous for: Swiss chocolate. ("About: Switzerland Food," 2005)

What are the practical and social rituals associated with the Switzerland cuisine?

Food is quite expensive all over Switzerland even in comparison to most of its European neighbors. In the Italian-influenced regions, common menus include a great variety of pasta. In French and German-influenced regions, potatoes, vegetables, and meats, followed by sweets and cheeses are common. Even in wealthy Geneva, the city's great specialty is the humble pieds de porc or pigs' feet. Pork sausages or salami come in a variety of local recipes including Beinwurst, Engadinerwurst, Kalbsleberwurst or calf's liver pate, Knackerli, Landjager and Leberwurst other kinds of sliced pates. ("Swiss Food & Dining," 2005, iExplore)

On an average day in Switzerland, breakfast typically includes bread, butter or margarine, marmalade or honey, maybe some cheese or cereals, plus milk, cold or hot chocolate, tea or coffee. Zopf is a very special bread, typically served on Sunday at…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

"About: Switzerland: Food." About culture. 2005.

http://www.about.ch/culture/food/#CH_BasicFood

"The

"Swiss Food." 2005. Switzerlandisyours.com.
http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/swiss-business-guide/food.html
http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Switzerland/Dining
http://usa.myswitzerland.com/en/destinations-Destinations.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

History of Muslims in Europe
Words: 6849 Length: 21 Document Type: Research Paper

The French in particular, as they are to this day considered to be one of the greatest losers of the war (and the most important battle field of the war) were in desperate need of men to reconstruct the country. Therefore, the immigration policies changed and allowed for an increase in the labor force flow. More precisely, "due to a perceived demographic insufficiency and labor market needs, the French government

Switzerland History, Culture and Lifestyle
Words: 2117 Length: 8 Document Type: Thesis

In most of Switzerland's cantons, the main religion is represented by Christianity. It is estimated that 41.8% of the population belong to the Catholic Church, while 35.3% belong to Protestant denominations. Other religions, which were brought by immigrants include Islam accounting for 4.3%, and Eastern Orthodoxy accounting for 1.8% of the population. Demographics in Switzerland The country's population in 2009 reached 7,604,467. The age structure is the following: 0 -- 14 years:

History of the 1920's
Words: 1472 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

history of the 1920's, a colorful era of tycoons, gangsters, bohemians and inventors. Areas covered include the arts, news and politics, science and humanities, business and industry, society fads and sports. The bibliography includes fives sources, with five quotations from secondary sources, and footnotes. The 1920's are commonly referred to as the 'Roaring Twenties', an appropriate title for a decade that did indeed roar out of the Victorian Era. Gone

Zweifel Chips Switzerland Browsing Through
Words: 1740 Length: 6 Document Type: Thesis

Conclusions Swiss chips manufacturer Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG is the leader of the national industry, but has refused to become engaged in global operations. Given the superior quality of the company's products, as well as the proven quality of their staff members, the next step that should be taken is that of expansion within the global market. The lesson here is that a prudential approach to business operations will ensure revenue

European Union: A History and
Words: 1612 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

"Lingering concern persists about the incorporation of 10 mostly East European countries last year, which some feared would dilute EU prosperity" (Rice-Oxley 2005). When Turkey desired to join the EU, member nations questioned its ability to be integrated into the common culture of the other member nations (Rice-Oxley 2005). Turkey's human rights record made it controversial as did its: "striking difference from the European norm in terms of economics,

Nestle Company Nestle's Long History
Words: 13087 Length: 50 Document Type: Case Study

Governments in these developing countries also may have issues with foreign companies expanding within their borders. Lastly, establishing local suppliers, and the infrastructure required for these suppliers, may be a challenge, especially for those they develop from the ground up. Strategic Posture: Nestle's mission statement is simple. "Good Food, Good Life'. That mission is to provide consumers with the best tasting, most nutritious choices in a wide range of food and beverage

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now