Local Swiss and French cuisine

The other night I realized that I have neglected to share some of the amazing food experiences that we have had thus far in our European adventures. Below is a culinary summary of the last few months:

Local ingredients: The Swiss eating culture (and economy) is very much based on local ingredients.  I'm convinced this is for two purposes: (1) Swiss people really do care about eating good quality, natural food. Europeans frequently make fun of the "fake" and chemical-y food that are produced by the American food industry. I can appreciate this part of it, who doesn't want to eat natural, good food and know where it is coming from?  (2) the Swiss government realizes how darn expensive their country is, so they put controls on their food so that it is sourced from within the country. For example, if you go grocery shopping across the border in MUCH cheaper France, you can buy very inexpensive meat. But, the Swiss quickly figured out that way too many residents were doing this on a weekly basis, so to control their local "meat" economy, the customs/border control agents put a limit on the amount of meat that you can bring from France into Switzerland. This often results in many unknowing expats being stopped at the French/Swiss border with their groceries out on the street while the border control agents literally count how many grams of meat you have purchased and then impose a fine on you if you go over the limit. I kid you not. It happened to us. The result is that many people in Geneva are forced to buy products locally in Switzerland.

When we first moved into our temporary accommodation, there was a mozzarella shop downstairs that specialized in making home made mozzarella from local cow's milk. Our first meal in town consisted of this tasty caprese salad creation.

Eating out in Geneva is really expensive (and to be honest, the restaurants in the city aren't all that great!), so we have grown fond of making lots meals at home. This delicious-ness is a home made quiche with local ingredients that we made.

Mountain meals: We have a running debate as to why meals in the mountains are just SO much better than the meals in the cities.  One theory is that you are just so darn hungry from the skiing or hiking that your standards are lower. But my theory is that the food really is that much better. Maybe its the fresh ingredients or the presentation, but there is just something about mountain meals that outshine all others. An interesting difference to note between US and European skiing culture is that lunch time is the focal point of the ski day.  It is common that at least 1-2 hours are set aside for a formal, sit down lunch in one of the mountain restaurants, and making a reservation is required. I have yet to see a "cafeteria" which is the norm in US ski resorts... I don't think they even exist here? But with my love of food, I'm not complaining ;)

Our first weekend in town, we hiked up to a little mountain restaurant in the middle of nowhere and found this gem. The fall season brings the restaurant season of "la chasse", which means all kinds of game meats are served for meals.

The Swiss love their cold meats. This beauty was served to us while sitting outside at one of the ski resort restaurants. 

Did I mention the portions are enormous??

Another amazing mountain top meal

French cuisine: This past Friday night we had a private chef come to our apartment to teach us how to cook French cuisine. Geneva is surrounded on all land sides by France, so there is a lot of French influence in the cuisine. I found a coupon for the session on the local Groupon-type site here. He came over with all of the ingredients and showed us how to make a traditional 'coq au vin', which is essentially a delicious chicken stew. One interesting fact that I learned: the base for most French cuisine comes from the combination of celery, carrots, and onions, which in combination, actually has an official name in French ("mier pois").

Our chef, Ernie!

The delicious end product right before we consumed it.

The Swiss favorites: You know where this is going, CHEESE and CHOCOLATE. I've blogged a few times about our experiences with these foods, so I won't go overboard; but, yes they are of course amazing. I actually wasn't the hugest fan of chocolate until I came here and now I love it, there is just something about a rich, Swiss dark chocolate that is unlikely any other chocolate I have had before. There are many types of Swiss cheese, but the most popular ways to eat it are as a fondue or as raclette. Fondue is pretty self explanatory; but, raclette often needs a bit of an explanation. Let me start by saying I have a true addiction to raclette. Its totally unhealthy. It is a specific kind of cheese that you melt and pour over cooked little potatoes. It is served with little pickles and onions and dried meat that is unique to Switzerland. Some also put a raclette "spice" (which is essentially paprika) or mushrooms on the cheesy goodness and our German friends like to add a little mustard to the mix. Having raclette is a fun, simple, and inexpensive way to invite friends over for dinner.

The raclette oven in action - you put your cheesy shovel under the hot coils and cook away. This is the "at home" version, when served in the mountains its typically still in the form of a big wheel of cheese that is then melted bit by bit and scraped onto your plate.

The full spread - its a fun Swiss dish to introduce to family and friends when they first arrive!

The main ingredients and tools!