The everyday foods that make Switzerland unique

A popular sight in Switzerland - a hard-boiled egg sprinkled with Aromat. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Switzerland is known for fondue, raclette and chocolate, but they tell only part of the story about the nation's culinary identity. This is defined just as much by everyday favourites like a hard-boiled egg sprinkled with Aromat or a bottle of Rivella.

Switzerland loves seasonings, perhaps even more than its neighbours. In many traditional cafes and restaurants, salt and pepper can be found on tables next to Aromat, a blend of spices and flavour enhancers, and Maggi, a liquid condiment with hints of stock and a flavour reminiscent of the herb lovage.

Maggi and Aromat can be found in many traditional Swiss bistros. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Aromat is not confined to kitchens and restaurants. On hikes and at picnics, it’s not unusual to see someone produce the familiar yellow shaker from their backpack and sprinkle a hard-boiled egg at the top of a mountain.

Over time, these well-known Swiss seasonings have found their way into Swiss dishes – much to the surprise of foreigners. Adding a few drops of Maggi to a risotto is perfectly normal in some households, a practice that would spark protests on the other side of the Alps.

For many Swiss, Aromat is more than a seasoning. When reports surfaced earlier this year about the possibility of Aromat being boughtExternal link by an American group, many people reacted as though a piece of the country’s national heritage were under threat. Their reaction speaks volumes about the place Aromat occupies in everyday life in Switzerland.

A fizzy drink from the cheese dairy

The Alpine nation’s relationship with milk is well established. Raclette, fondue, and Gruyère and Emmental cheese are known around the world.

But the Swiss don’t just turn milk into cheese. Sometimes their passion for dairy products takes on more unexpected forms. Since the 1950s, they have also been using it to make fizzy drinks.

Made from whey – the liquid left over after producing cheese – Rivella has become one of the country’s most popular soft drinks. This simple by-product of the dairy industry has culminated in the creation of a national drinkExternal link.

Rivella’s success also owes much to the image it has cultivated over the decades. For generations of Swiss people, the soft drink is tied to memories of orienteering, school camps, hikes and sporting competitions. After hours of exertion, a chilled bottle can seem remarkably refreshing.

The Rivella brand regularly sponsors sporting events in Switzerland. Ppr Media Relations Ag

But love for the whey drink is not universal. Despite numerous attempts, Rivella has never managed to replicate its success abroad. One of the few exceptions is the Netherlands. It may be a coincidence, but cheese-loving nations are perhaps more receptive to the idea of turning whey into a soft drink.

Beer on toast

A whey-based soda might seem like an unusual idea. But turning brewer’s yeast into a spread is perhaps even more so. Switzerland is not alone, however. The British have Marmite, the Australians Vegemite, and the Swiss have Le Parfait and CenovisExternal link.

Like Rivella, these products originated from a “circular economy” approach. In both cases, the aim was to make use of by-products from the brewing industry. Rich in protein and B vitamins, brewer’s yeast and fermentation residues emerged at the start of the 20th century as an attractive resource at a time when food supplies were a major concern for authorities and industry.

There was also a social dimension to the project. The spreads were intended to provide a nutritious and affordable foodstuff capable of supplementing or replacing more expensive products, particularly meat, but at a lower cost. Created in 1931 in a brewery in canton Aargau, Cenovis embodies this ambition even in its name, derived from Latin roots evoking food and strength.

Over time, however, the nutritional story has given way to an emotional one. Le Parfait has become a familiar sight on Swiss dining tables. Cenovis, on the other hand, belongs to a more particular category: food you either love or hate. For its fans, it evokes childhood memories, breakfasts and a certain sense of comfort. For its detractors, a single slice of toast spread with Cenovis is often enough to confirm they will never join the club.

When dessert makes an appearance

Perhaps the final major characteristic of the Swiss palate is its fondness for sweet-and-savoury combinations. Admittedly, Switzerland did not invent these. They can be found in many cuisines around the world, from China to the Middle East. But few European countries seem to have integrated them so naturally into everyday life.

Mixing sweet and savoury belongs to a certain Swiss tradition. In the Fribourg region, for example, cuchaule [a saffron-infused brioche bread] is served with Bénichon mustard, a preparation whose sweetness is sometimes more reminiscent of jam than mustard. Pear bread, found in several Swiss Alpine regions, is also an example of this long-standing habit of blurring culinary boundaries.

Swiss preferences do not stop there. Hawaiian pizza has for years been one of the country’s most popular varieties. In a nation that readily combines sweet and savoury, the idea of adding a few pineapple chunks to a pizza probably seems less revolutionary than elsewhere.

This familiarity with sweet-and-savoury combinations is not universally shared. In canteens and dining halls, many German-speaking Swiss happily mix Apfelmus [apple sauce] with macaroni or cornettes pasta and minced meat. Meanwhile, people from French-speaking Switzerland and canton Ticino often eat the same dishes with the same apple purée, but generally save the apple purée for dessert.

Macaroni, sausage and apple sauce: a faux pas or a stroke of Swiss genius? Keystone / Urs Flüeler

Riz Casimir, a curry dish that combines meat, cream and tropical fruit, is perhaps the most iconic example of this tradition. Long a fixture on Swiss restaurant and canteen menus, it often inspires bewilderment abroad. In 2023, it even landed on TasteAtlas’s list of the world’s worst-rated dishes, an honour its fans could happily have done without.

None of these customs is uniquely Swiss. But their coexistence in such a small country creates a surprisingly distinctive culinary landscape, one whose originality many locals only fully appreciate when they leave the country.

Edited by Pauline Turuban / Translated from French, sub-edited by Alexandra MV Andrist/sb