Hi, I'm Andie.
I live near the Swiss Alps, in Bern, and I love not only melting cheese, but all kinds of Swiss cooking.
Hi, I'm Andie.
I live near the Swiss Alps, in Bern, and I love not only melting cheese, but all kinds of Swiss cooking.
There are numerous sources that provide information about the Swiss culinary canon and, just as you would expect, they are meticulously catalogued and kept up to date.
Before attempting a classic Swiss recipe, these are some of the resources that I usually consult.
Betty Bossi
Switzerland’s culinary authority
Tip Topf
Switzerland’s standard issue school cookbook
The Kulinarisches Erbe der Schweiz / Patrimoine Culinaire Suisse/ Patrimonio Culinario Svizzero, or Culinary Heritage of Switzerland, is an astounding collection of information about traditional and historic Swiss food products.
No detail is spared, and information is given on the history of each item, typical ingredients, typical preparation, when it is most often consumed, other names it is known by, related items, in which parts of the country it is produced, and about how much it sells for.
Learn more here: http://www.kulinarischeserbe.ch (available in German, French and Italian).
Aus Schweizer Küchen
Marianne Kaltenbach
Kochbuch
Elisabeth Fülscher
Rosina Gschwind
Das Grosse
Lehrbuch
der Bar
Harry Schraemli
Here is a small sampling of books from my collection of Swiss cookbooks.
A culinary ramble through Switzerland and Ticino
Excellent overviews of Swiss and Swiss Italian cuisine.
(Many thanks to intrepid Sam for ordering me the Tessin edition.)
The culinary ramble inspired recipes for Ramequin, Appenzeller Rahmfladen, Nidwaldner Bohneneintopf, and Apfelbröisi.
Swiss cuilnary delights
A retro and colourful old book featuring the best of Swiss cuisine.
Swiss specialties
Another great overview of Swiss cuisine, with some history and some classic recipes thrown in. Peter Bührer, a sort of culinary jack-of-all-trades, wrote his first book “Spargel, einfach Spitze” when he was just 20.
My Valais asparagus dish comes from this book.
The big book of swiss cooking
Lots of great regional recipes, interesting facts and lovely photos.
It inspired my recipes for Sage Mice, Mandelschnitten, and Mostkuchen.
The Swiss Military Cookbook
Sam graciously let me have his old military cookbook (left), then later a friend in the army sent me the updated version (right).
Part of Sam’s army service involved choosing the weekly menus at camp and ordering the bulk food needed to feed the battalion. Every recipe here is calculated to feed a hundred men.
My recipe for Militärkäseschnitte is from this book, but scaled down to feed two, and the Hallauer Zwetschgenstreusel comes from the new version.
The industrious little Housewife
This ‘guide to a practical life for grown daughters’ contains not only recipes, but tips on keeping a household.
The New Cookbook
Willy Brenneisen, a passionate chef and educator, published numerous cookboks in his lifetime.
This one from 1950 has the first recipe for Züri Gschnätzlets.
Specialties from Every Canton
I have several slim little volumes with the most famous recipes from each region. Many of these dishes can be found in my own collection of Regional Favourites.
The Bernese Cookbook
Bern’s own school cooking textbook which, like Tip Topf, includes excellent base recipes and some information on nutrition.
The older versions of the book feature a great page on your daily ration—one to two servings of fruits and veg, as many carbs as you feel like and, predictably, a whole lot of milk or cheese (see photo below).
REcipes from the Emmental
Fritz Gfeller is the region’s most notable chronicler of local dishes, and his books on Emmentaler cuisine feature many recipes from Gasthofs and restaurants in the area.
I consulted his books for my posts on Brönnti Creme, Brächere Brönnts, and his Weier-Eitopf inspired my Wurst Eintopf.
The books of Sue Style
Sue Style wrote about Swiss, and other food, tirelessly over her lifetime, and devoted herself to the promotion of Swiss wine, which culminated in her wonderful book, The Landscape of Swiss Wine, published in 2019.
When I worked in the English bookshop at Stauffacher in Bern, her cookbook A Taste of Switzerland was our top requested book on Swiss cooking in English, and its warm, witty text and carefully chosen recipes, many from Swiss people Sue had met throughout her travels, made it a popular choice.
I was so thrilled when Sue generously reviewed my first book, Helvetic Kitchen, and we became colleagues at Bergli Books.
Unfortunately, Sue passed away in late 2019.
Her writing captured the food and traditions of Switzerland so well—you can feel her curiosity and delight in the subject throughout her books—and she is an inspiration to anyone who writes about Swiss food and drink.
Tried and Tested recipes from Graubünden
The recipe book Bewährte Kochrezepte aus Graubünden (Tried and Tested recipes from Graubünden) is updated and published by the Gemeinnützigen Frauenverein Chur, Chur’s women’s organization. It is a collection of recipes dating back to 1905, which are carefully chosen and updated as needed, then re-released (they are currently on the 14th edition)
You can order it though their website and it only costs 5 CHF (plus 2 CHF shipping). It’s a lovely little spiral bound treasury of some of Graubünden’s most beloved recipes and it inspired my Griessgnocchi.
Cook, roast, bake
This is one of my mother-in-law’s go to resources for base recipes. Not totally unlike Tiptopf, it was a textbook from the hauswirtschaftlichen Fortbildungsschule Zürich (a school for the domestic arts).
Lady cooks of yesteryear
An absolutely beautiful book, and one that is necessary for understanding the way that domestic cookery evolved in Switzerland at the end of the 19th century.
It features at notable female cookbook authors and educators from the time and includes many recipes, some classics and others that have fallen out of favour (lots of brains and innards, as well as how to prepare Bärentatzen—actual bear paws, not the cookie).
My Milchreis recipe talks more about the book which inspired the recipe.
Vegetarian Switzerland
The definitive vegetarian cookbook of Swiss cuisine. Great recipes and beautiful photos.
Cook like they did in old Bern
In collaboration with one of Bern’s oldest restaurants, Harmonie, this little book contains numerous historic recipes from the city of Bern.
My recipes for Bernese Pumpkin Pie, Zitronensalat, and Teufelseier, were inspired by this cookbook.
Cooking with Switzerland’s Blue Mascot
Globi’s cookbooks borrow the wisdom of some of Switzerland’s top chefs with illustrated recipes great for the whole family. And the book on Swiss cuisine is available in English too.
I looked to Globi for help on my Dandelion Honey, Schabziger Brötli, and Brönnti Creme.
The golden cooking primer
This classic Swiss cookbook from 1947 has a wealth of traditional recipes, as well as household management advice and great tips on preserving.
It was contains an early recipe resembling the classic Swiss dish Züri Gschnätzlets, and has the first mention of the St Galler Klostertorte. I borrowed the recipe for cherry syrup to make my Kirsch Sours.
SWitzerland’s favourite Grandmother Chef
Kathrin Rüegg published numerous cookbooks during her lifetime, celebrating simple cooking and the wisdom of grandmothers.
Writing from her home in Ticino, where she at one time featured on the television program Was die Grossmutter noch wusste, her recipes are easy to understand and effective.
More from Kathrin Rüegg
What grandmothers know about good cooking. And potatoes! Kathrin Rüegg’s sweet, potato-filled cake inspired my own Härdöpfutuurte, and I borrowed her Käsepudding recipe for my Cheese Pudding
Swiss Bread
My friend Heddi wrote this wonderful book about Swiss Bread. Also available in French and German, it has recipes for well-known Swiss breads, as well as not so common regional specialties.
The little Bernese Cookbook from 1749
A fascinating (if difficult to read, font-wise), little cookbook providing insight into the culinary history of Bern.
I based my ‘Bearinade’ (used when creating my post on Wild) on the version for bear meat found in this book. It also gave me insight into Osterfladen (traditional Swiss Easter tarts), as well as the Zigerkrapfen typically eaten during Fasnacht.
Culinary Arts and Tradition in Switzerland
With a wealth of regional recipes, excellent old-style food photography, and wonderful pictorial glossary of Swiss cheese, wine, and sausages, this book never disappoints.
It inspired my recipes for Basler Kirschenbrottorte, Solothurnertorte, Entlebucher Försterschnitten, Vaudoise Mint and Zucchini Tart, and Tarte aux Poires à la Genevoise.
Bernese Style
A super cute little cookbook, illustrated by the famous Bernese artist Ted Scapa.
The Swiss Baker and Pastry Chef
The definitive textbook for Swiss bakers and pastry chefs from 1944. One volume includes baking, another pastry and confiserie, and the final book outlines and advises on the challenges of running a bakery.
My post on Zürcherbrot relied on the baking book from this series.
In 2017, I was given the opportunity to write and illustrate a little cookbook of my own about Swiss cuisine, in English. Helvetic Kitchen was published by Bergli books and is available in Swiss bookshops and online. The following year, I wrote about Switzerland’s drinking culture in Drink like the Swiss, which I also illustrated. It provides an overview of Swiss tipples, and plenty of cocktail recipes. In 2021, my book Swiss Cookies, was published in English and German.
