Switzerland is known for its dairy products, namely cheese and chocolate. Swiss cheese and chocolates are famous throughout the world for being delicious. I would definitely agree the cheese and chocolate here are far more delicious than a lot of the options available in the United States. Dairy products are a large portion of the Swiss diet, as is meat and bread. A traditional breakfast generally consists of bread and cheese. While breakfast is more french style, lunch is more German. A traditional lunch is bratwurst and either bread or a pretzel. Dinner varies depending on the area of Switzerland you are in; however, it generally contains some form of meat.
Traditional Swiss food is a combination of French and German styles and is very rich. In addition to fondue and raclette, there are many rich meat dishes that are popular. The most traditional Swiss dish is Zurchergeschnetzelts, which is a dish of veal in gravy, served with Rösti, fried potatoes resembling hash browns. I personally am a big fan of Swiss style dishes, as they tend to be heavy on meat and potatoes. In Zürich and other big cities food stands are also very popular. These stands serve food such as kabobs, bratwurst, falafel, and pretzels. They’re open all day and late into the night and are good for snacks or quick meals. During the night there is often an up charge on the food because of the cost for staying open that late. Switzerland has very strict laws around wages and staying open late is very expensive, meaning any business open late will generally cost more at night.
Because of Switzerland’s economy, everything here is very expensive, including food. A meal at McDonald’s consisting of a big mac, fries, and a drink will cost roughly 15-20CH. A meal at a restaurant is much more than that. Most students here eat at home and cook for themselves. Grocery shopping is very expensive in Switzerland, and the country is very small, leading to many people crossing the border into Germany, Italy, and France to go shopping where the prices are cheaper. A bell pepper in Switzerland can be anywhere from 5-8CH, where it is 2-3CH over the border. Meat is even worse, with the same cut of chicken being ~18CH compared to ~8CH. Because of the cost of food, I’ve been cooking mainly at home. Most of my meals involve cheese and bread and way too much chocolate.
