Switzerland January 2013

Transcription

1 Switzerland January 2013 Swiss geography is its culinary destiny. Alpine lakes produce abundant freshwater fish. Cows grazing high alpine pastures produce milk for butter and great, gorgeous wheels of cheese. Switzerland s most famous cheese dish is fondue--really a melted cheese and wine soup-- eaten by dipping torn bread on long forks into the hot pot. Also traditional are raclette, a whole cheese, broiled and then scraped onto potatoes and served with pickles; and rosti, potatoes layered with cheese. Alpine lakes produce abundant freshwater fish. For centuries, the Swiss have traded valuable cheese for grains not easily grown at home, importing ingredients and cooking styles from neighbors France, Germany, and Italy. So Swiss cuisine is diverse and regional, with cured meats and sausages; crusty breads and muesli; savory tarts and sweet pastries; and a great variety of wines and ciders. And it s typical, for instance, that high in the Alps, herdsmen make macaroni and cheese with pasta from Italy. And let s not forget chocolate. In 1879, in Berne, Rodolphe Lindt invented the conch, a machine that makes chocolate smooth for the first time. The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two world wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality. Geographical Information: total: 41,277 sq km = 39,997 sq km of land and 1,280 sq km of water country comparison to the world: 136 Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey Land boundaries: total: 1,852 km Border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m; highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m Ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

2 Other information: Languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and official languages German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Muslim 4.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census) Population: 7,925,517 (July 2012 est.) Major cities - population: Zurich million; BERN (capital) 346,000 (2009) Interesting facts about Switzerland 1. Switzerland s climate is ideal, with no excessive heat, cold or humidity. 2. Switzerland is also known as Confoederatio Helvetica, which explains the abbreviation CH. 3. Switzerland is NOT part of the European Union. 4. The Swiss currency is not the euro, but the Swiss franc (CHF). 5. Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates of all industrialized countries. 6. Foreigners account for 20% of the population. 7. The number of elderly people is increasing: Switzerland has more centenarians per head of population than any other country in Europe. Many older people live alone or in retirement homes. 8. People marry relatively late (men with 31 years and women with 28.7 years); divorce rate around 53 percent. 9. The average number of children per woman is around 1.4; the average age of a woman at birth of first child is Switzerland lags behind most Western European countries in many aspects of sex equality. 11. There are large differences between men and women in the labor market. 12. Far more women than men work part time. In 2006 nearly 58 percent of working women were employed part time, while the figure for men was just over 11 percent. 13. Women did not gain the vote at federal level until 1971, and they are still underrepresented in political life. 14. Women put a lot of emphasis on their careers, and Swiss women are among the oldest in Europe when they have their first child. The majority of couples have one to two children at most.

3 Switzerland Menu Appetizer Cheese & Meat Platter Entrée Rippli (loin ribs / smoked pork loin) Starch Gruyere Potato Gratin Vegetable Broccoli Salad Dessert Schokolade Kuchen (Chocolate Cake) Division of Labor 4 Cooks 5 Cooks Appetizer Cheese plate cook #1 cook #1 Entrée Rippli cook #2 cook #2 Starch Potatoes cook #3 cook #3 Vegetable Salad cook #1 cook #4 Dessert Cake cook #4 cook #5

4 Cheese Platter 3-5 different cheeses 1-2 cured meat or sausage Crackers or crusty bread

5 Rippli (smoked pork loin) Ingredients for 4 persons (adjust accordingly estimate 6-8 oz raw meet per person): 1 tablespoon margarine 100 g (0.22 pounds) bacon, cut into small pieces 2 onions, hacked 1 garlic, pressed 300 g (0.66 pounds) cabbage, cut into strips 200 g (0.44 pounds) celery, cut into pieces 250 g (0.55 pounds) carrots, cut into slices pepper ½ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 800 g (1.76 pounds) smoked pork loin 1 dl (3.4 fl. ounces) white wine ½ cup beef broth 4 tomatoes, peeled, cut into slices Preparation: 1. Grill/smoke pork loin to internal temp of 160 degrees While pork is pre-cooking: 2. Heat up the margarine in frying-pan. 3. Add bacon, onion and garlic and stew. 4. Add cabbage, celery, and carrots 5. Cover and steam until the vegetables falls in. 6. Spice with pepper and thyme. Combine and finish cooking: 7. Place hot pork loin within the vegetables. 8. Add white wine and beef broth 9. Cook on low heat (300) for about one hour. 10. Add tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.

6 Gruyere Potato Gratin Photo By: kylenicole Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 55 Minutes Servings: 8 "This is a traditional Swiss recipe for creamy potatoes from my Grossmutter." INGREDIENTS: 2 tablespoons softened butter 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 2 large onions, chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese 3/4 cup white wine 1/3 cup water 3/4 cup heavy cream DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish with the softened butter. 2. Toss the potato slices and chopped onions with salt and pepper, and spread 1/3 of the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of the Gruyere cheese over the potatoes, then add another layer of potatoes. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese followed by the remaining potatoes. Mix together the water and wine, and pour into dish. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. 3. Bake in preheated oven until the potatoes are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Once tender, remove the foil, and pour the cream evenly over the potatoes. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top and thicken the cream.

7 Broccoli Salad 6-8 servings Serve with entrée Best if made 1-2 days ahead so flavors blend. Mix dressing together: 1 C. mayonnaise 2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp cider vinegar Mix together the salad: 2 bunches chopped broccoli 1 cup sunflower seeds ½ cup raisins 6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled Pour dressing mixture over salad.

8 Schokolade Kuchen (Chocolate Cake) Ingredients for a round form with 24 cm (approx. 10 inches) diameter: 10 Tbsp Margarine [150 g = 0.33 pounds = 5 oz] 1 c. white sugar [230 g = 0.5 pounds] 6 eggs - separated 1 pinch of salt 2 ½ tsp. of vanilla sugar 1 [5 g = 0.2 ounces] 7 oz. dark chocolate [200 g = 0.44 pounds] 5 oz. ground almonds [125 g = 0.28 pounds] 2 cups crushed plain biscuits (in the US known as unsalted crackers) [125 g = 0.28 pounds] 3 cups powder sugar [375 g = 0.83 pounds = 13.2 oz] 4 tablespoons chocolate powder Preparation: 1. Stir/beat margarine until foam-like. 2. Add sugar, yellow (yolk) of the 6 eggs, salt and vanilla sugar, stir again. 3. Dissolve chocolate in 3 tablespoons of water and add to the mixture. 4. Stir the white of the 6 eggs until stiff, add to the mixture and mix well. 5. Grease 9 or 10 inch round cake pan with margarine, and pour mixture into the pan. 6. Bake on lowest position in oven at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes. Frosting: 1. Mix powder sugar with 4 tablespoons of water. Put 2 tablespoons of the white icing aside. 2. Add chocolate powder to the rest of the mixture, add a few drops of water and stir. Mixture should not be too stiff. It should flow without being too runny. 3. Let cake cool off after baking. 4. Pour chocolate mixture evenly over cake. 5. Form a small, funnel-shaped paper with a tiny opening. (A plastic sandwich bag works well.) 6. Put the white frosting mixture set aside in step 1 into funnel and draw 5 to 8 concentric circles on the top of the cake. 7. Use a small knife and pull 8 lines from the center towards the edge and 8 lines from the edge towards the center alternating. (see photo) Hint: Store chocolate cake in the refrigerator. 1 Recipe for vanilla sugar: Vanilla sugar is wonderfully fragrant. Made by burying vanilla beans in granulated or confections/sugar usual proportions of two beans for each pound of sugar. The mixture is stored in an airtight container for about a week before the beans are removed. The result is a delicious and perfumy sugar top and can be used as an ingredient for baked goods. Vanilla beans may be reused in this fashion for six months.