Getting to grips with food choices in Switzerland

Keystone

Switzerland has been ranked as the most expensive in Europe for food and non-alcoholic drinks at almost 70% more than the EU average. 

According to the Economist magazine’s Big Mac IndexExternal link, the Swiss must pay $6.50 for the same burger that would cost $5.51 in the United States, meaning the franc was overvalued by 18.8%. 

Those living near the border can hop into France, Germany, Italy or Austria to reduce the grocery bill. Others have to rely on cut-price supermarket chains like Aldi, Lidl or Denner to find bargains. Produce from weekly markets are generally more expensive than supermarkets.

Vegetarian options

Switzerland is not a complete desert for vegetarians. Veggie restaurants like TibitsExternal link and HiltlExternal link have been around a long time and most Swiss restaurants can scramble up a decent Rösti – the country’s beloved grated potato dish – with some greens. The Happy CowExternal link has a list of over 250 vegetarian restaurants and also offers a mobile app to locate them. The supermarket Coop has introduced a range of vegetarian ready meals called Karma that includes dishes from different international cuisines.