Alpine cuisine

The regional cuisine of different regions of theAlpsis calledAlpine cuisine. Despite clear regional differences, this cuisine has been characterised throughout the entire Alpine region for centuries by the isolated rural life on the alpine huts and in the mountain villages. The staple foods that are still available today include milk and dairy products, cereals and desserts, as well as meat preserved bydryingandsmoking.
Milk and dairy products have been a central component of Alpine cuisine for centuries. The typical alpine farming with alpine-specific dual-purpose breeds such as theSimmentaler Fleckvieh (Simmental cattle)or theTiroler Grauvieh (Tyrol Grey)can be traced back to the beginning of our era: Even the Roman writersPlinyandStraboreported on the good milk productivity of Alpine cattle ("bos alpinus"). VariousBergkäsevarieties from the Alpine region ("caseus helveticus") are also said to have been mentioned by Pliny.In his workNaturalis historia, however, he describes cheese from the Gallic provinces as rather unpopular in Rome and compares the strong taste with that of medicine.In the meantime,cheese production in Switzerlandand other Alpine countries has developed considerably: cow's milk cheeses such as SwissEmmentaler, Allgäuer Bergkäse and FrenchTomme de Savoie, as well as various soft and hard cheeses made fromgoat's milkare now internationally known and popular.
Over the centuries, the widespread use of alpine farming and the need to store meat over the long winter season have brought about a number of long-lasting meat specialities in Alpine cuisine. Many products such asTyrolean ("Tiroler Speck")andSouth Tyrolean bacon ("Südtiroler Speck"),Bündnerfleischand Valais dried meat are now protected as protected designations of origin ("g.g.A."). But otherdried meatproducts such as Kaminwurze also have a firm place in alpine cuisine.
The physically hard work of the mountain shepherds and farmers on the mountain huts requires a lot of energy even until today, which can be obtained particularly well from carbohydrate-rich food and side dishes. In addition to well-known dishes such as roll, semolina orKaiserschmarrnorBündner barley soupmade from typical European cereals such asrye,barleyandwheat, robust and undemandingbuckwheatalso had a firm place in the Alpine cuisine early on. Sciatt, a buckwheat flat bread, andPizzoccheri(buckwheat noodles) are among the specialities ofVeltlin, and in the SlovenianOberkrainŽganci(equivalent to the Austrian Heidensterz) is a typical poor people's meal made from buckwheat flour. With the introduction ofmaizein Europe, it also gained in importance in Alpine cuisine and today is mainly found in the form of maize semolina in dishes such aspolentaor Riebel.
The typical dishes of the Alpine region also include many variations of baked goods, preferably long-lasting varieties such as the South TyroleanSchüttelbrotor the Vinschgauer. Particularly in winter, breads and cakes are prepared withdried fruitsuch as Kletzen - for exampleKletzenbrot, which is widespread in Austria and South Tyrol, or Swiss specialities such asBirnbrotand Schlorzifladen. In poor mountain regions, these recipes were often created out of the necessity to stretch expensive bread cereals from the lowlands with dried fruits.
In addition to the specialities already mentioned, the following dishes are also part of the traditional Alpine cuisine:
Due to the climatically convenient location, especially the southern Alpine regions became well known as winegrowing regions. The winegrowing inSouth Tyrolhas a long tradition which can be traced back to pre-Roman times.Valaishas a large number of vineyards. Wines from the French and Austrian mountain regions have also been known and popular internationally for a long time.
Other specialities of the Alps include the Swiss Chèvre, the AustrianZirbenlikörand theEnzianschnaps, of which the knowledge of the locations, harvesting and processing of the roots in the TyroleanPaznaunwas recognised byUNESCOas anintangible cultural heritagein 2013.
Due to the large geographical size, the climatic differences and the sparse infrastructure, Alpine cuisine has always been strongly influenced by the local cuisine of the respective countries. For example,sweet chestnuts, which are widely used in French and Italian Alpine cuisine, play only a minor role in the cuisine of the Bavarian and Austrian Alps, while, conversely,Sauerkraut, which is popular inBavarian cuisine, is not widely used in southern Alpine regions such asTyroland South Tyrol.
In addition to the spatial separation, the widespread cultivation of traditions also contributes to the preservation of traditional regional Alpine cuisine. For example, the AssociationCulinary Heritage of Switzerland, founded in 2004, was able to set up an online Encyclopedia with over 400 Swiss cuisine products, supported by the Federal Office for Agriculture and the Swiss cantons.TheSlow Foodmovement, headquartered inPiedmont, Italy, is also committed to preserving regional diversity and culinary cultures.