Traditional Swiss Food What to Eat in Switzerland

Hey there hungry travelers, Mark here with Walters World and today we're in Basel, Switzerland. And today we're going to talk about are some of the things you should eat when you come here to Switzerland. And what you really need to realize when you come to Switzerland, it is a very diverse country because there's actually different regions with different cultural influences, and that also affects their food. So what I'm going to talk about is some of the kind of overall Swiss food that you should try when you're here. And if you have regional dishes that you know people need to have, put in the comment section below with the region or the city it's in and what they should eat so we can help out more travelers get more fantastic food when they're here. Because one thing you need to realize is when you come to Switzerland, a lot of the food is really farm-to-table or locally produced. So it's so fresh, it's so good, and that's why the cheeses you have here will differ by region. You're going to love it and that's why honestly one of the things you have to have when you're here is the cheese. And no, I'm not talking about the Swiss cheese from back home, you know, the one that looks like it's straight out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon. No, no, no. There are so many different cheeses here you can enjoy in Switzerland. Make sure you do that, okay? And, and, and you'll see that there's actually seasonal cheeses that'll pop up as well. So check out the cheese shop and go get yourself some when you're here. Now, there's two really big cheese dishes, I guess is the way I'd put it, that you need to have when you're here. One is fondue. We know cheese fondue. You know, you see it. This is when you think Switzerland, you think, oh, fondue and chocolate. Yes, and fondue, that big old pot of melted cheese together, they'll put wine in there, some of the flavors in there. Oh, it's so good. You know, you have a little spoon, you get your bread in there, and sometimes you'll put other things in the cheese. It's so good. And it's something you really have to have when you're here. But I will say, if you're going to have fondue, make sure you know the etiquette of how to do it. If you're eating with locals, if you're eating with other travelers, nobody's going to care. Also, if you're going to be eating with kids, be careful because sometimes that cheese can cover the back of your throat and you can choke a little bit. And maybe it's not just for kids, maybe it's just for travel vloggers who every time they have fondue here, almost choke to death. So do be careful with that. But fondue is something you have to have when you're here. Every time I've come, we've had it. Even I've visited friends that aren't from Switzerland, like, nope, we have to have it. So another cheesy, tasty treat when you're here in Switzerland is raclette. And raclette is not as popular around the world or famous around the world as fondue is. But for me, actually, sometimes it tastes even better. And what it is, you have raclette cheese and it'll be this kind of, you know, it's a big wheel and they'll cut it. And then what they do is they like, with a little fire, they'll melt just like the edge part. And then they cut that off and they either put it on their potatoes or some people put on the side of the potatoes. I'm an on top of the potatoes kind of person. But you have different meats and different stuff they'll go with. You'll put the cheese on, the raclette cheese. I mean, it has some punch in terms of the smell, but it has some punch in your tummy because it's really, really good. And honestly, if you want something that's more special that you don't get everywhere around the world, it's fondue you make all over the place. I find that actually raclette is actually a nicer experience. It's something you're like, hey, this is a bit different. So definitely try that when you're here. Now, you notice I didn't talk about chocolate early. And we think about Switzerland, it's fondue and chocolate. Well, obviously you got to get chocolate when you're here. And yes, there is chocolate fondue. So you can do that as well. I find the kids like that one better than the cheese fondue. So have a heads up for that. But in general, there's tons of great chocolate shops all over the country. This is where you're going to get your chocolates to take home and give as gifts because Swiss chocolate really is better. Look, I'm not trying to dish Hershey's or Cadbury or anybody like that. But like the chalk from Switzerland is next level. And it's not just the Toblerones and Linz that you know, and you see every day around the world. It's the local chocolatiers who will make exotic flavors and fantastic just treats out of chocolate here in Switzerland. So definitely pick up some chocolate when you are here. Now another hearty little thing you can have when you come here is called a Rösti. And basically what a Rösti is like I would call it a hash brown pancake. But people wouldn't say that. Think about shredded potatoes, made like a pancake thing and then fried. And then you can have different stuff on it. So we put egg and sausage on it. Like I have some with cheese and egg and some have mushrooms and onions. There's different toppings you can put on it. But the Rösti is a very common thing here in Switzerland to have. And for my young fellow travelers that are missing out on their Kraft macaroni and cheese when you're back home, well guess what? They have their own macaroni and cheese here in Switzerland. And that's the Alpe Macaroni, which is basically macaroni noodles with cheese, just like mac and cheese. But then they put some potatoes in there as well to give it a little more fortification. And it's, you know, tasty Swiss cheeses that are going in there. Not the powdered stuff like we have in the U.S. But that's something that my kids actually like when we're here. Because it actually kind of helped them with a little bit of homesickness, which I thought was kind of funny. Because I'm like, yeah, it's kind of like mac and cheese with the, with the macaroni noodles. But uh, it's the Swiss version. So as I mentioned before, you know, there's very much regional dishes, regional treats around the country. Also by city, there's going to be different treats and different things you want to have in different cities. Now some of those treats will be in other cities as well, but sometimes you want to get it where it's really from. Now Basel has the Leckerli, which is basically like a harder gingerbread cookie kind of brownie looking thing. A little glaze on top. You can have that. It travels very well because it's like a more biscuit kind of crackiness than it is like cookie-ish. But that's something you can have, you know, cities like I mean, I'm going to butcher this one. So just bear with me because you know, it's, it's Swiss German. So it doesn't always work with the normal German that I'm used to speaking. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I butchered that one. Go ahead and make fun all you want, but this is actually really good. It's veal and like a wine sauce. Oh man. The sauces here are fantastic. You get it on the food, which is wonderful, but you're going around and you're going to have different stuff. I mean, you're by St. Gallen, man. Like their bratwurst are phenomenal when you're there and the locals will tell you don't eat them with mustard. And as somebody that's from near Chicago, I understand how vehement people in Chicago are about not putting ketchup on the Chicago dog. Well, you don't put mustard on the St. Gallen bratwurst because it's just perfect the way it is. That roasted beauty. You want to have that. And, and there's just so many different treats you have at different cities around here. Now I will say when you're going out to eat, service is not going to be quick or friendly, but it will be professional when you are here. You do not have to tip when you're in Switzerland. There's already a service fee included in the price of the food that's there. Now you can leave extra money. You can tip on top of that, but it's not expected. Another nice thing. If you're looking to save a little money, you can just drink the tap water here. The tap water in Switzerland is fantastic. So you can fill up with that all the time. And if you go to the restaurant and just ask for tap water, no one's going to care. It's going to be totally fine. Another fantastic thing you need to have when you're here in Switzerland is actually Swiss wine. I know we never really think about Swiss wine because we don't see it in our local wine store. Well, that's because the Swiss drink all of their wine. So when you're here, make sure you do try some of the Swiss wine. It is fantastic. Now for my vegetarian and vegan friends, there's a lot of vegetarian and vegan options here in Switzerland, more so in the cities than when you go in the rural areas. So I want to give you a heads up for that one. And if you're looking to save a little money with the food, just have the grocery stores. They're going to be a small grocery stores in the big city. So you can grab like a picnic lunch to enjoy out here on the river, taking in beautiful views like this. Or when you're going up on the picnics, when you're going into mountains, doing your hikes, you'll love it. Anyway, I hope this helps you know what to eat when you get to Switzerland. And believe me, there's a lot more. Look in the comments below for more fantastic foods to have here in Switzerland. But we appreciate you signing up. 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