Mountains Serve as Geographical Barriers, Creating Hundreds of Distinct Food Cultures
Introduction
It is nearly impossible to summarize the wealth of culinary experiences in the European Alps, whether in a high-end resort, a secluded mountain hut after a long hike, or a bed and breakfast in a remote valley. This article serves as an informational entryway to tailor dining to your personal needs when exploring the countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and France.
Germany & Austria
The Bavarian south of Germany, which borders the Alps, produces cuisine very similar to that of its Austrian neighbor, as both regions share close linguistic, cultural, and geographical similarities. In a nutshell, this is the land of The Sound of Music, where traditional dress, script, music, and food still run the show. The region is not known for its food like France and Italy, but between the assembly line restaurants of the big resorts are small gems representing authentic traditional cuisine.
The staples of this region include a wide variety of cured meats and sausage products, with more smoked varieties than the mold-cured saucisson the French and neighboring countries produce. The most common sausage is smoked Landjäger. Accompanying that are potato and dumpling dishes, local beer, and yeast and egg-heavy desserts. Another staple rarely seen elsewhere in the Alps is grey rye bread with sourdough and caraway notes.
That said, it doesn't get more Austrian than a Leberkäs sandwich from the local butcher, a roasted meatloaf packed between fresh-baked bread rolls, served with a strong mustard. Accompany that with a pint of Märzen or Lager, and even the most cynical Viennese intellectual may begin to smile.
Also incredibly popular are Kartoffelsalat (potato salad), Krautsalat (cabbage salad with caraway seeds), Bretzel (fresh lye yeast pretzel), Bauernspeck (dried smoked bacon/ham), Gulaschsuppe (goulash soup), Hirsch and Wildererpfandl (assortment of venison and other game in gravy served with red cabbage, spaetzle, and lingonberries), Weißwurst (steamed veal and parsley sausage with sweet mustard), and Käsespaetzle (cheesy egg noodles with onions from the Allgäu region). Typical desserts include Apfelstrudel (apple strudel), Kaiserschmarrn (pan-fried egg pancakes with applesauce), and an assortment of stone-fruit cakes.
Perhaps nowhere do locals take as much pride in welcoming guests in traditional Wirtshäuser (bed and breakfasts). A Wirt is a guest keeper. Austrians are smart business people who know how to pamper the exhausted hiker or skier with expansive breakfast buffets as their guests exit cozy wood-frame rooms each morning.
For the young and brash, the après-ski scene still reigns supreme, with entire valleys counting down in the early afternoon to begin the party. Jagertee, hot black tea with 160 proof Stroh rum, Jägermeister, or shots of Williams-Pear brandy with a preserved pear inside are some of the most common drinks, as is the beloved beer that flows freely in the country with the 2nd highest beer consumption in the world. The Ötztal, Kitzbühel, and St. Anton am Arlberg are some of the destinations notorious for these after-ski endeavors.
Whether you want to eat a simple Schnitzel with fries in Obertauern, sip a Rinderkraftbrühe (beef broth) in Zell am See, or enjoy foie gras and Veuve Clicquot at the top of Lech am Arlberg with the Bogner connoisseurs, Austria has a dish, drink, and accompanying song for any visitor.
Switzerland
Whereas most childhood Heidi readers picture a simple pastoral country of cheese, chocolate, and edelweiss, the modern-day confederation of 26 cantons offers the traveler more choice than a lifetime of culinary exploration could discover.
It is difficult to pinpoint one "authentic" Swiss cuisine. Still, there are undoubtedly steadfast traditions that date back to the years of Wilhelm Tell and the agrarian mountain society from which modern Switzerland emerged.
To understand the Swiss way of mountain dining, one must understand two principle concepts: gemütlichkeit (homeyness) and the feeling of Uhrig (having old character and soul). The Swiss love to add "li" to everything they say, similar to the French "ette" to make expressions diminutive, imbuing them with a sense of coziness and cuteness. The term "bergbeizli" refers to the art of eating an ornately prepared meal in the mountains. Traditional Swiss values frown upon the rowdy nature of their mountain neighbors' après parties.
Instead, the Swiss prefer uhrig: a quiet, cozy setting amid old cowbells, austere walls decorated with old mountaineering equipment, and wooden engravings. Think of a bearded old shepherd who speaks only his valley's dialect, melting his homemade cheese on his ancestors' raclette machine as you seek shelter from a storming blizzard.
Classic towns like Wengen by the Eiger North Face appear to have only made it to the 60s, with wind-washed bakeries advertising in old German script and heritage hotels with musky carpet flooring and smoke rooms. At the end of a ski run, pointy ski racks, old-fashioned Coca-Cola billboards, and pastel-colored gondolas form the backdrop of cafes.
Being a country of four languages, Swiss comfort foods are likewise multicultural. Ghacktes mit Hoernli (macaroni with beef and apple sauce), Alpermagronen (macaroni with cheese and onions), Cervelat (garlic sausage), Bircher Müesli (overnight oats), and Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (veal in white wine and crème sauce) are omnipresent throughout the German-Swiss cantons.
Rivella and Ovomaltine are two beloved national drinks of little international renown. Rivella is a soft drink made of lactose serum, a natural byproduct of cheese-making, while Nestle's Ovomaltine is a maltose-based cacao drink. A common marketing slogan in Swiss-German is "Hesch dini Ovo hüt scho gha," inquiring whether you have had your Ovomaltine yet. Once back in the lifts or on the trail, a bar of Milka chocolate is equally a must.
Bircher Müesli deserves a section of its own, as these special overnight oats—soaked in milk, yogurt, grated apple, and banana and topped with nuts—stand as a mountaineer's favorite. Originally, it was a therapeutic food for the sick; Bircher Müesli, the brainchild of Doctor Bircher at the 1900s "Living Strength" sanatorium in Zurich, aimed to cure those sickened by industrialization's nutrient-poor diet.
Yet, talking about "Swiss" mountain food would do each canton an injustice. Let's dive deeper into some of the largest and most food-prolific regions.
Valais
The Valais, the second largest and arguably most rugged of the Swiss cantons, spans across the Rhône Valley in both German and French-speaking regions. Switzerland's most iconic peaks border this mythical canton, which includes resorts like Saas-Fee and Zermatt. The Valais rests gravé dans mon cœur (engraved in my heart), as the French-speaking Valaisans say.
Climatically, the Valaisan Visper Valley is the driest part of the country, with invasive opuntia cacti growing in abundance. Valaisan restaurants and bodegas swear by their white wines, but reds are also gaining popularity. The Visperterminen, at 1378 meters altitude, is Europe's highest vineyard, where grapes of the Savagnin or "Heida" variety make their home. The Valais faces grave danger from climate change, as the Rhône Valley frequently becomes a flood-soaked wasteland in the springtime and a scorching semi-desert in late summer.
At most alpine huts, the Valais is known for its Aprikosenkuchen (apricot tart) from locally grown fruit, Walliser Roggenbrot (rye sourdough bread), Walliser Platte (local dried beef, cheese, and cornichon), and of course fondue and raclette. Traditionally, the Valaisans built stone-stilted houses to stop rodents from entering and eating their food. A meander through historic villages like Saas-Fee will reveal this ancient practice.
Ticino
Although the sunnier Italian-speaking part of Switzerland—Ticino—is famous for many delicacies, the castagno (chestnut) is the main object of desire for hiking gourmets. In October, these brown jewels ripen, making their way into chestnut crème tarts and tagliatelle, or they are eaten whole. The Sentiero del Castagno (the chestnut trail) has become a popular tourist attraction, combining foraging for chestnuts and hiking in the beautiful autumn landscape.
Bern, Fribourg, Vaud
Approachable, verdant, and family-friendly, the entry into the Bernese Alps between the eastern shores of Lake Geneva and the Jungfrau region is a culinary hotspot. Cows graze freely and roam the endless pastureland, interspersed with alpine meadows and mid-elevation peaks.
If on the way to Villar and Les Diablerets, one must stop for a glass of Aigle de Murailles, a wonderful expression of the Chasselas grape that hugs the sunny cliffs on the south side of the Rhône Valley, marked by the centuries-old Aigle castle. After freeriding the Scex Rouge below Glacier 3000, dinner awaits in nearby Gstaad, where old-world snobbery and haute society meets hay barn and local cheese farmer. For meat lovers, a well-marbled entrecôte from the local butcher is carved from the old Simmental breed endemic to the nearby Simme River valley.
If less keen to spend, Gruyère, home of gruyère cheese and just a stone's throw away from the overpriced Saanen municipality that includes Gstaad, offers some of the best cheese fondue in Switzerland. Dine near the Gruyère castle or in any village in its vicinity. Starting at around 25 francs per person, the bubbling pots of cheese will not disappoint.
Perhaps the best way to experience the Bernese Alpine cuisine is a visit to the Jungfrau region, composed of Wengen, Mürren, Grindelwald, and surrounding hamlets, where the towering 4000-meter peaks dividing the Swiss Plateau from the Valaisan Rhône Valley overlook a steep glacial ravine of waterfalls. Local classics like rösti mit Spiegelei (Swiss-style hash browns with sunny-side up) or Kalbsbratwurst (veal bratwurst) are the bestsellers.
In Wengen, the "Start Bar" at the top of the world-famous Lauberhorn World Cup descent offers grilled bratwurst from the local butchers on sunny days. Usually cash only and in high demand, one must arrive around noon to savor one of these juicy, charred brats with a local yeast bun and Tommy mustard. Authentic sausages are generally few and far between, but this one is truly an experience.
For families looking for a more sensorial lunch or the avid ski tourer in need of a coffee before descending the Totenkopf line, the Mürren cable cars deliver. Located on the western side of the Lauterbrunnen valley, they take visitors to the top of the Schilthorn, where traditional pastries, fresh coffee, and Swiss classics await within the "James Bond" tower popularized through the movie To Your Majesty's Secret Service.
Grisons
Grisons, the most expansive and easternmost Swiss canton that borders Italy, Liechtenstein, and Austria, is home to Romanche speakers, salsiz sausage, and St. Moritz. The Grisons lies deep in the Alps and imbues a true land-locked, lost feeling. Often overlooked as a culinary region, the local barley soup excites, as does the dried Bünderfleisch (cured beef) on a fresh ring of Ringbrot, a ring-shaped loaf of rye bread. A good Bünderfleisch should be dark red inside, moist, with slight marbling and a greyish rind.
If passing by the Davos-Klosters region, be that as an alpinist or global politician—Davoser Weidenmilch (Davos pasture milk) provides the dairy-lover with a creamy sampling of arguably some of the best milk in the world. It's herbaceous notes delight, directly available at the local supermarkets.
Zug
The canton of Zug, internationally known for its glistening blue lakes and seriously low taxation, is also known in the German-speaking world for its 50,000+ cherry trees, with over 350 varieties.
Not coincidentally, this small stretch of ancient rolling moraine hills from Zurich to the Vierwaldstättersee produces some of the best cherry brandy in the Alemannic cultural region. Local markets offer old heirloom varieties ripened by the early summer sun reflecting off the lakes.
The Etter family business, founded in 1870, is most famous for distilling these beautiful red fruits into 80 to 90-proof spirits known colloquially as Kirsch. Kirsch is served at most mountain bars and huts but also forms the basis of Zuger Kirschtorte, a layered cake with almonds and an alcoholic cherry finish. Winston Churchhill and Audrey Hepburn have sworn by its orchestra of flavors. But the Swiss don't stop there. Kirsch, mixed with corn starch to bind the curd and fat of melted cheeses, gives most fondues that characteristic aftertaste.
Italy
To the culturally biased, Italy's mountain cuisine simply offers a better and cheaper version of its neighboring countries. Sorry, France, Switzerland, and Austria! Describing Italian alpine food quickly gets out of hand, as the decrease in elevation as one descends closer to the northern Italian Po plateau is not accompanied by a decrease in culinary diversity. For the sake of simplicity, this article will briefly cover South Tyrol and Trentino, followed by the Aosta Valley.
On average, the quality of food in Italy is extraordinarily high. Even at the large resorts, you can find excellent food at a good value, something I wouldn't say about any other country in the Alps. In smaller, more remote locales, it gets even better (and cheaper, if that's even possible).
South Tyrol & Trentino
South Tyrol's cuisine is similar to the Austrian Tyrol, as it was historically part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That means apple strudel, schnitzel, smoked ham, and dumplings. However, its proximity to the Mediterranean and slightly different climate make for local delicacies incorporating more porcini mushrooms, spinach, apples, and white wine. Being one of Europe's primary apple-growing regions and a good wine country naturally adds a bit of "zest" to the heaviness that accompanies its neighboring Austrian cuisine.
Typical foods are spinach dumplings, Frittatensuppe (pancake fritter soup), Hirtenmakkaroni (macaroni with meat sauce), asparagi ala Bolzano (asparagus in egg dip), spaghetti bolognese with speck, Bauerngroestel (roast potatoes with bacon and onions), as well as spinach spaetzle and other types of dumplings.
Further down south, the Trentino region is famous for more Mediterranean fare, with carne salada (a type of beef carpaccio), mortadella (a wide and often smoked salami form), and risotto al Teroldego (red wine risotto) being classics. The dumplings of South Tyrol are equally liked in this still mountainous region.
Aosta Valley
While potatoes and wheat dominate in other regions, polenta forms the basic carbohydrate in this part of the Italian Alps, made from coarse ground cornmeal and plenty of butter. Another key ingredient is fontina, a mild cow's milk cheese used to top everything from soups to polenta-based dishes.
As in most parts of Italy, pizza is on offer in great quantity and quality, either in the thinner Roman style or using the Neapolitan method. Carbonara, cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), and local derivatives with speck and cheese form the basis of most pasta dishes, served with fresh black pepper and a crunchy salad.
Other very famous dishes include tagliata al funghi (thin beef or veal with porcini), polenta al ragu (polenta with beef or game ragu), zuppa di zucca (pumpkin soup), zuppa valdostana (a rich broth with soaked bread and topped with baked fontina cheese), carbonade (a rich beef stew with red wine), and monte bianco (a very sweet chestnut tart with meringue). These are paired well with both red wine and local beers.
France
The French Alps encompass a boomerang-shaped territory, extending from the northern Haute Savoie to the Mediterranean hills just north of Nice. This makes for noticeable differences in available edible plants and mountain cuisine. France is the global center of gastronomy, but it's also a highly industrialized nation, particularly one that has built loads of megaresorts throughout the mountains. For this reason, it takes a keen eye—and nose—to sift through the tourist traps and find the real goods.
Not surprisingly, the primary meat and cheese-heavy dishes of the North, like potée savoyarde (cabbage and pork stew), slowly evolve to include more quiche, ravioli, ratatouille, and salads in the southern stretches. Nevertheless, different forms of melted cheese with potatoes and bread, such as tartiflette, raclette, fondue, and boîte chaude dominate throughout, as do saucisson sec (cured dry sausage in mold casing), diot (sausage marinated in white wine), and pièce du boucher (butcher's cut) with morel sauce.
Similarly, the ubiquitous French boulangerie and "snacking" shop is a sure find in any corner of the mountains. Look out for artisanal labels, where organic dough conditioners, flour, and enzymes are used to make rugged baguettes that would look at home in a bucolic 15th-century peasant's hovel, as well as butter croissants with just the right amount of burn, typical throughout France.
To the dismay of the traditionalists, the tourist-industrial complex has entered most of the Chamonix Valley, Annecy, La Clusaz, and the surrounding areas close to the heavily trafficked Arve Valley. Despite this, Megève and Annecy are home to some top Michelin-star destinations with some of the best food in the Haute-Savoie region.
Stopping at any mountain hut may feel anonymous and like an endless raclette or burger reblochon assembly line, but there are jewels in the mix. The Chamonix farmer's market, open from the early morning on Saturdays, is definitely a no-miss, as is the Dainty Pizzeria, an oddly-named Neapolitan pizzeria in Chamonix with seriously well-proofed dough and San Marzano sauce.
If you find yourself skiing at the Grands Montets, as many do, do NOT eat on the mountain. Instead, check out the picturesque Cremerie restaurant, nestled in the forest above Argentière. And speaking of reblochon burgers, there are great ones to be found in the ski huts of Les Contamines. Annecy's Christmas market is also a must-stop for hot diot lovers.
One quiet spot with excellent salads, raclette, and charcuterie plates is the Refuge de Miage, nestled on the southwestern side of the Mont-Blanc Massif, just below the Dômes de Miage. Prolific myrtille and raspberry picking occupy the long July days, given an expansive moraine field dotted with shrubs just above the refuge site.
Further southwest on the boomerang of the French Alps, the big-name destinations of Val Thorens, Val d'Isère, Tignes, Les Deux Alps, and Alpe d'Huez do offer fine dining à la Française and local artisan products in boutiques fermières (farm to table shops). However, like in their more northern counterparts in the Chamonix area, mass tourism brought assembly-line hut food. Many mountain restaurants serve mainly burgers, French fries, and fried chicken.
Alternatively, la Folie Douce and other concept brasseries with après-bars and disco stages à la Austria have popped up across the French alpine zone, serving classics like entrecôte, moules frites, and duck confit for the upscale traveler, but the quality doesn't always justify the price.
Easily forgotten, however, is a blossoming auberge and refuge culture, many manned and serving slow, local, and traditional food. Perhaps less internationally known and less frequented than the northern French Alps, the sunshine-bathed southern ranges offer some lesser-known delicacies.
Tourtons (fried potato pouches with cheese), Argousier jam (sea buckthorn berry), croquants de Ecrins (local crisp cookies from the Ecrins region), and tarte de noix (walnut pie) are some examples of less-heard of food products. The famed ravioles (potato-based, stuffed pockets) and oreilles d'Ane (crêpes with spinach and cheese) are equally loved. A must-try are the tourtons served by the Auberge Prapicoise in the Champsaur Valley of the Ecrins.
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For lovers of organic and high quality, the bigger cities of Gap and Briancon in the southern French Alps offer a high selection of BioCoop-style supermarkets emphasizing local sourcing. SAB in Briançon and Boucherie Garnier in Monetier-les-Bains are two examples of local purveyors of high-quality meats. While these sometimes come at a higher price tag, they are well worth a visit before your hike, ski, or mountain bike mission. Sage, rhododendron, or clover honey, juniper berries, and other raw or dried ingredients entice the local shopper.
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