Swiss food is bad – according to online reviews
As travel and gourmet portal Taste Atlas claims, are we a culinary boom? We ask two experts.
Fondue at the Fribourger Fonduestübli restaurant in Zurich – that’s not enough to make it into the top hundred.
Photo: Tmedia
In a long article, the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” celebrates Global ranking of the top hundred culinary cities and their local or regional specialties. First place: Florence. Second place: Rome. Then there is the Peruvian capital Lima and in fourth place again an Italian city namely Naples.
Not surprisingly, Italy’s general populace is rejoicing in the rankings, which Italians have recently had to admit with pain and anti-patriotism. says local nutritionist Alberto GrandiMany of the so-called classic Italian dishes (pizza, spaghetti carbonara, parmesan, panettone) were invented elsewhere.
Where can you find the world’s best local specialties in Switzerland? Not anywhere.
Moving down to the 100th place in the city ranking (Mexican Merida), the gaze slides past names like Prague (17th), Sarajevo (61st), Indianapolis (62nd), Recife (67th), Bogotá (84th), Warsaw (92nd). Ankara (98). When, will a Swiss city finally arrive? Where in Switzerland are the local specialties in the top 100 places in the world? Answer: Nowhere.
The ranking was created by the Taste Atlas organization, which specializes in culinary art and travel, and its ratings are often quoted in the international media, and not only “Republica”. According to Taste Atlas, its rankings are not based on gourmets’ ratings, but on Google reviews. A second Taste Atlas ranking, i.e. the best national cuisines, This is flattering for Switzerland: it ranks 87 out of 100, just ahead of Scotland but behind countries like New Zealand, Cuba and Albania.
Do we have a problem?
Do we have an international culinary image problem? The question goes to two experts, namely Paul Imhof, Castro critic and author of the five-volume “The Culinary Heritage of Switzerland.” No one in this country knows more about local specialties. and Daniel Bonniger, a longtime Tmedia gastronomic critic and today deputy editor-in-chief Online portal of “Gault Millau”.
“Such rankings are complete nonsense.”
Paul Imhof considers culinary mass rankings “absolute bullshit.” “A ranking based on Google ratings will never do justice to this complexity,” says Imhof, which depends on climate, soil, traditions and the culinary and cultural identity of an entire region.
Top connoisseur of local cuisine: Gastro critic and author Paul Imhof.
Photo: PD
It’s really ridiculous that you get the best company canteen food in Swiss gastronomy. As a counterargument, Imhof cites the high density of Swiss restaurants awarded unique stars in the world. Global reputation of Lausanne Hotel Management School. In one of his books, Spanish crime writer and foodie Manuel Vázquez Montalban — creator of the private detective Pepe Carvalho — praises Swiss chef Freddie Girardet as the world’s most refined, innovative.
“Many guests from America are ‘greedy’ for our way of eating fondue.”
However, according to Daniel Poniger, there are only two national Swiss dishes with international appeal, namely raclette and fondue. “Cheese dishes are not really a delicacy, and some of the wider foreign public have a hard time with them – for example many Asian tourists. Or guests from the US, who find it unsanitary to stir together a pot of cheese while eating.
Plus, says Imhof, the two Swiss national dishes are a little lacking in exoticism.
Cooking cantonal spirit
Why are Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, Salm à la Baloise, Berner Platter or other typical Swiss local dishes not in the world’s top 100? Besides the fact that it’s a matter of taste, Bonniger points to other possible reasons: “Switzerland is fragmented, which is why there’s a culinary cantonal spirit here,” he says. International cuisine, especially in Zurich and Geneva, is so varied and of such a high quality that local cuisine has not received international attention. To experience local specialties, you must specifically seek them out.
WE MISS HIM: Our former Castro critic Daniel Poniger, fondly known as “Bonnie.” Here he is eating a schnitzel with french fries at the Bahnhof Wiedikon restaurant.
Photo: Urs Joudas
In a survey based on the general public’s assessment, gastronomy in Swiss cities has a major drawback: “It is incredibly expensive for foreign guests,” says Bonniger.
So let’s let the Italians be happy about their well-deserved performance. Germany, which is ten times larger, is represented by only one city (Munich, 75th place). Looking forward to an adventure at the Vorteren Sternen in Zurich.
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