Hug from Lucerne, Switzerland

I can say without hesitation, that during my honeymoon, I ate my favorite Swiss meal in Lucerne, Switzerland. (I know what you're thinking... Although most of my honeymoon pictures were deleted, I still have a few up my sleeve! Sorry for the old content, but remember, NBA playoffs aren't over yet!)


Allow me to give some background. My husband and I had worked up ravenous appetites after vigorously touring the Lucerne area, and we needed lunch immediately. We had spent hours admiring the wooden Chapel bridge (Kapellbrücke), which was decorated with compact rows of flower bushes and vivid paintings which hung above the bridge walkway. We also toured the serene surroundings of Lucerne's lion monument (dedicated to those who courageously fought in WWII) and stared for hours at the glimmering river water, which was so transparent, not only could you see to the bottom, but you hardly noticed it was there.

After our intensive walking tour of Lucerne, we were starving. And I mean, starving. Therefore, my beau and I stopped by Hug, a restaurant-bakery heartily recommended by our travel guide. The eatery was bustling, and featured a glass case full of buttery pasteries.

Since we were starving, upon being seated, we immediately shoved the complimentary bread into our faces like uncouth neanderthals. The sweetness from the crushed bread grains filled our mouths, and we allowed the rough edges of the bread crust to dissolve on our eager tongues.


We ordered our meal after a quick conversation mainly consisting of, "Sprechen Sie Englisch?"

Thankfully, within minutes, our steaming hot side order of fries arrived. They appeared and tasted similar to fries that we had had in Amsterdam, with a surprisingly yellowed surface (much yellower than the U.S. counterparts). Despite the pronounced "golden" color, the fries were just as delicious as excellent American fries. With a crisp shell, and moist interior, the fries were exactly how good fries should be. We also were given a salad of iceberg lettuce with a creamy dressing to further begin our meal. The simple salad and "Swiss" fries quelled our appetites for the arrival of the main dishes, which were the stars of our meal.



I had ordered the Bernese-style röesti (or rösti), a pan-fried grated potato dish similar to America's hash browns. However, in a Swiss röesti, there are many other flavorful additions, such as finely chopped onions and garlic, and gruyère cheese. For the röesti that I scarfed that afternoon, I particularly adored the chive ringlets garnishing the crisp potato edges and gruyère cheese that oozed out of the crevices of the pan-fried potato pancake. (During my visit to Switzerland, I fell head-over-heels in love with gruyère, which possesses the sharp tang of Swiss, with the encompassing savory and umami flavors of parmesan.) Topping the röesti were supple strips of soft bacon cooked to a delicate perfection, not into a dry, sandy, lifeless, and overcooked meat cracker.

However, by far, the best entrée that afternoon was the "toast Diana" which consisted of sliced venison in a savory game cream sauce with mushrooms and white grapes, all over crisp toast points. The rich fullness and intensity of red wine permeated the complex game sauce, which was substantiated by the large and meaty mushroom slices. The hearty gravy paired well with the sweetness from the halved grapes and grape tomatoes. I literally licked my plate after this meal.

After we concluded our meal at Hug, we walked along the peaceful waterfront, watched the sunset, hit up the local casino in Lucerne for a game of poker, and headed back to Zurich to spend the evening. But again, just to reiterate, my favorite part of the day was receiving a delicious Hug.

Belegte Brötli / Lachsbrötli Sandwiches

One of the most eye-catching product in all of the Swiss bakeries are the belegte brötli and lachsbrötli, or aspic-coated, open-faced sandwiches. (And in response to my last post, the brötli sandwiches were my favorite purchase from Zurich's farmers market.)


After scouring the web, I discovered that "brotli" translates into "an open-faced sandwich," and therefore, is much like a French tartine. However, different from most open-faced sandwiches, brötli sandwiches are encased with a thin blanket of gelatin made from rich meat consummé.

Brötli sandwiches are very attractive--a definite visual feast for the eyes. They are decoratively topped with thin layers of smoked salmon or ham, blanched ivory-hued asparagus spears, dill pickles, slices of boiled chicken eggs, wedges of tomatoes, pimento stuffed olives, a twirl of soft butter or mayonnaise from a star-shaped piping tip, and raw yellow onion rings or pearl onions.

For my aspic-enrobed sandwich, I ordered tuna, or "thunfisch." The tuna tasted like it was from a can, but it still tasted delicious. It was mashed into a substantial and creamy spread, and thickly mounded on a square slice of white bread. My brötli came with a briny dill pickle slice, a lone tomato wedge, and a raw onion ring. The cooling aspic layer lent a light and refreshing dimension, and yet, oddly hearty and substantial flavor to my regular tuna sandwich.


If you are interested in traveling to Switzerland, do try out a brötli sandwich. Also, feel free to check out some of my other Zurich-related posts, here:

• Farmers Market in Zurich's Central Train Station
  
• H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren & Kaffeerösterei
• Window Shopping in Zurich
• Confiserie Sprüngli
• Greetings, from Switzerland!
  

And here are some posts on other foods that I tried in Zurich, that you might consider giving a taste or two:

• Swiss Pretzel Sandwich
  
• My Eyes Are Opened to the Ovo-Malt Drink
• Red Currants
• Spiced German Elisen Lebkuchen Cookies
• Riveting Rivella

Swiss Pretzel Sandwich

As you may remember, I previously posted on Zurich's Farmers Market, in the Hauptbahnhof (the central train station). Despite the relatively "empty" content of my post, I actually did not leave the farmers market empty-handed. I would love to share with you a memorable purchase from the market, the Swiss pretzel.


In America, we eat pretzels alone, unadorned, and unadulterated. Therefore, in Switzerland, I decided to go "out on a limb," and thus I ordered a pretzel sandwich with butter and prosciutto.

In the United States, we know pretzels as either the (1) hard and bite-sized "snack" kind, found in manufactured plastic bags, like Rold Gold's, or (2) the large and soft kind, like those you buy in the mall from Auntie Anne's. Oddly, the warm pretzel (or "bretzel," in German) from Switzerland possessed the best of both "hard/soft" worlds, for (1) it was dried and crunchy at the tapered and twisted ends, and (2) soft, dense, and chewy like a doughy bagel in the thicker regions. The pretzel's shiny surface was encrusted with with opaque salt crystals, which were perched like coarse jewels on the braided pretzel crown. The subtle flavors and harmonious textures of the pretzel were outstanding: I had never had a pretzel with both soft and hard elements, both present at once.

And onto the "sandwich" element of the pretzel. There was substantial layer of cold, sweet, coagulated butter spread thick across the interior surface of the sliced pretzel. The unsalted and freshly churned butter tasted like a decadent coating of luxurious cream cheese on a toasted New York bagel. The paper-thin slice of cured Italian meat had a pleasingly salty finish and firm, gristle-like "tug" in each bite. Quite delicious, if I might say so myself.


Although the pretzel was great, it was not my favorite item from the farmers market, that day. More to come, on my favorite farmers market purchase!

If you cannot wait until my next post, check out some of my other Zurich-related posts, here:

• Farmers Market in Zurich's Central Train Station
  
• H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren & Kaffeerösterei
• Window Shopping in Zurich
• Confiserie Sprüngli
• Greetings, from Switzerland!
  

And here are some posts on other foods that I sampled in Zurich:

• My Eyes Are Opened to the Ovo-Malt Drink
• Red Currants
• Spiced German Elisen Lebkuchen Cookies
• Riveting Rivella

Farmers Market in Zurich's Central Train Station

Every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Zurich's Central Train Station, the Hauptbahnhof, transforms into a vibrant circus, not of exotic animals, but rather, a circus-like farmers market of seasonal fruits, colorful vegetables, freshly baked goods, brined olives, and egg pastas and cured meats imported from Italy.


Take a peek at Zurich's impressive green vegetable selection of potatoes, lush savoy cabbage, tuber-licious turnips, and pockmarked celeriac.


Admire the stupendous baked array of Swiss goods and skewered fresh fruit snacks, including braided bread rolls, open-faced sandwiches enveloped in aspic, salt-encrusted pretzels, and apples dipped in luscious and melted caramel.



And look on at the links of cured sausages and meats.


Also, at Zurich's farmers market, you can peruse aged barrels filled to the brim with a wide array of brined olives and red peppers.



Finally, enjoy this vision of thick wheels of cheeses and trays of stuffed pastas, all imported from Italy.


On Wednesdays, you could go on quite an adventure, without ever leaving the confines of the train station!

For more posts on my time in Zurich, Switzerland, check out my older posts:

• H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren & Kaffeerösterei
• Window Shopping in Zurich
• Confiserie Sprüngli
• Greetings, from Switzerland!
  

H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren & Kaffeerösterei

A must-visit place in Zurich, Switzerland for a foodie, is H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren & Kaffeerösterei, a family-owned historic colonial era trading outpost, dating back over a generation.


The beautiful store facade and stunning window displays of specialty food items immediately illustrates why H. Schwarzenbach is a Zurich icon.


H. Scharzenbach offers an abundance of exotic goods, including rich loose leaf teas, intensely flavored coffee beans (which may be roasted in house), aromatic spices, jarred sauces, rare chutneys, flavored vinegars and oils, chocolates, and dried tropical fruits, nuts, and pastas.


For instance, you can purchase these crunchy roasted candy-coated almonds at H. Schwarzenbach, as well as on the chilly winter streets of Zurich.


After visiting H. Scharzenbach, be sure to stop by one of Zurich's refreshing public water fountains, which are dispersed throughout Zurich.


Although Zurich's fountains look like decorative garden fountains that recycle algae-infested and used water, you can actually drink clean water from the Alps at these "drinking holes." Despite the perpetually flowing (but not recirculating) water, there is no real waste because the excess water drains into the Limmat River.


Decorated with ornate sculptures and often with an elaborate labyrinth of intertwined pipes, the fountains gurgle and spray into deep reflecting pools. Dip your cupped hands into the pool for a wash or hold your glass up to the pouring fountain stream for a delicious drink.


The water in Zurich has a crisp mineral-flavored bite with a dull aftertaste/finish, and tastes precisely like Evian.

If you enjoyed this post, check out a few of my other posts regarding my visit to Zurich, Switzerland:

• Confiserie Sprüngli
  
• Window Shopping in Zurich
• Greetings, from Switzerland!
  

My Eyes Are Opened to the Ovo Malt Drink

In addition to Rivella, another popular drink in Switzerland is the "Ovomaltine," a chocolate malt drink that you can find in the refrigerated aisle as the "Ovo Drink." This chocolately beverage has an ephemeral malt aftertaste and light milky fragrance, and is one of Switzerland's top selling refreshments. Therefore, during my Swiss honeymoon, I made sure to load my travel pack with a few plastic bottles of this nutritious drink.

However, my whole experience with these milky malt drinks is clouded in ambiguity. Based on my Switzerland travel guidebook, I was informed that "Ovomaltine" and "Ovo Drinks" were the genuine Swiss food products, while "Ovaltine" (the product that we know in the U.S.) was considered by the Swiss to be merely a cheap imitation. However, Wikipedia informed me that Ovomaltine and Ovaltine are the same drink and made by the same company, but called "Ovomaltine" in Switzerland and "Ovaltine" in England. Irregardless of semantics, I rediscovered and came to love the Ovomaltine/Ovaltine drink during my time in Switzerland.

When I was a kid, I preferred to get my malt fix via chocolate-coated Whoppers, and my chocolate milk fix by mixing milk with the gooey chocolate syrup with the Nestle Quix Rabbit on the label. To me, an Ovaltine was just the drink in the Christmas Story movie, and along with Yoohoos, they were beverages of a bygone era that my parents loved but only purchased for me on very, very rare occasions. However, now that I have had the opportunity to rediscover the rich, chocolately and milky aroma of Ovaltine/Ovalmaltine as an adult, I now appreciate its timeless appeal.

If you are interested in more Swiss beverages, check out my previous experience with Rivella:

• Riveting Rivella
  

Spiced German Elisen Lebkuchen Cookies

Although the beau and I visited Switzerland from late October to early November, we noticed that many Swiss stores had already begun decorating for Christmas. For instance, luxury clothing boutiques had sparkling strings of Christmas lights dangling from the storefronts and chocolate shops had cottony bundles of artificial snow nestling in the corners of their windows. Best of all, the Swiss supermarkets were stocked with bountiful displays of seasonal Christmas cookies. The Christmas cookies that repeatedly caught my eye (and helped to empty the cash from my pocket, time after time) were "elisen lebkuchen" cookies, or spiced German Christmas cookies.


The first time I purchased elisen lebkuchen cookies, I was mesmerized. After carefully opening the crinkly cellophane wrapper, I laid out the three different cookies from within the package and delicately inspected them one-by-one, caressing the edges with my fingers. I divided the cookies according to their three types: (1) plain, (2) coated in chocolate, and (3) coated in a milky sugar glaze. Each cookie had an airy, rice papery, communion wafer layer adhered firmly to the back. (Although I have analogized certain textures to communion wafers before, the cookie backing literally tastes like a communion wafer, and later, after industriously scouring the web, I discovered that indeed, the backing is a communion wafer.)

As I bit into the thick and pillowy soft cookie, I found that they possessed the encompassing, warming flavors of gingerbread and rum with a soothing aftertaste of cloves and allspice, and just a hint of cinnamon. The dimpled cookies had crunchy bits of chopped hazelnuts, distributed throughout the cookie dough. The cookies coated in chocolate and the thin layer of hardened sugary icing were also delightful. Even though I purchased the cookies from the store rack, the cookies had retained the moisture and texture of being freshly baked, just a few hours ago.

I hope my post about my experience with elisen lebkuchen cookies gets you in the holiday mood. They sure did for me, way back in October!

Window Shopping in Zurich

I loved window shopping in Zurich, and I hope from this picture, you can see why.


I would spend hours walking up and down Bahnhofstrasse and the nearby neighborhoods, simply peeking through storefront glass and deciding what I should purchase for a mid-afternoon snack. See the candied citrus segments coated in chocolate on the lower left hand corner? For a chocolate-lover like me, Switzerland was a dreamland.

(Also, since we are on the topic of "looking," I just wanted to thank the blogger at Three Column Blogger for providing the instructions for me to implement this new, three column layout. Check out the blog for amazing, detailed, step-by-step guidance on changing your blogger code.)

Confiserie Sprüngli

The one store that defined my trip to Zurich, Switzerland, was without a doubt, Confiserie Sprüngli, a delicious store which is a combination bakery (with a dizzying selection of toothachingly sweet Swiss pastries) and confectioner/chocolatier’s shop. (Thank you for the tip, Just Hungry!)

The moment you enter, you will see a throng of eager patrons standing in line to order Confiserie Sprüngli’s renowned Luxemburgerli macaroons. The macaroons generally consist of (1) decadently buttery chocolate ganache or (2) cloud-like puffs of whipped cream, sandwiched in between two melt-in-your-mouth meringue mounds that have an airy, wafer-like crispness. The meringues literally evaporate in your mouth like a sweet silk, made of sugar.


Yes folks, this is what manna must have tasted like. Hallelujah!


The first thing I thought of when I read the word “luxemBURGERli,” was the word, “burger.” The Luxemburgerli macaroons do indeed look like dainty finger-sized burgers, but exhibit an artistic flair—they might possess a bright pastel sheen, a luminescent surface which reflects the glistening sunlight, or be covered in a blanket of powdered cocoa. Confiserie Sprüngli has a stunning array of robust flavors, including pistachio and alcohol-infused flavors such as champagne and Bailey’s liqueur. But there are flavors even for the unadventurous, including classic French vanilla, and Swiss chocolate.


After you’ve ordered your macaroons and paid at the counter (but before you open the pristine box flaps to your macaroon feast), take the time to read the attached message printed in three different languages (German, French, and English) on a paper slip the size of those you find in fortune cookies. The instruction on the message is simple, yet forceful, "Enjoy [your macaroons] as soon as possible." The delicate texture of the macaroons are best eaten in seconds so that they retain their crisp and airy texture, and don't become chewy and stale from humid air.


These Luxemburgerli macaroons, unfortunately, don't come cheap. I remember the price as roughly five Swiss francs (approximately, four dollars) for a small box of four macaroons. But believe you me, they're worth every bite.

If you aren't in the mood for sweets, the Confiserie Sprüngli on Bahnhofstrasse (the main thoroughfare in Zurich) sells savory foods, such as sandwiches, quiches, and meat pies.


So to recap, if you're in Zurich, you "must" visit Confiserie Sprüngli. It's the place to eat Swiss sweets!

Riveting Rivella

Even though I am on my honeymoon, there hasn't been one day that I haven't thought about food blogging.

Allow me to explain! I am sampling many new types of food products and many different cuisines, and I can't wait to share my experiences with you!

One of my most exciting discoveries in Switzerland (the land of milk, cheese, fondue, and chocolate) is Rivella, a popular carbonated Swiss beverage made from milk plasma or "milchserum," in German. Rivella allegedly rivals Coca-Cola in terms of popularity in Switzerland.

Although I am not entirely clear what "milchserum" is, Rivella allegedly contains all of the nutrients and minerals as milk, but does not contain any proteins or lipids. To me, Rivella tastes like two parts Red Bull with one part diluted apple juice. If you have ever tried Calpico (a yogurt-based drink found in Asian supermarkets and unfortunately titled "Calpis" in Asian countries), I would say that Rivella has got the tarty yogurt essence of Calpico too. Rivella has an interesting, biting flavor with a strong aftertaste, but definitely quenches your thirst as you are hiking through the bustling river-lined streets in a large Swiss city or the trails cutting across rocky Alps. If you are ever traveling in Switzerland, drop by a local market and pick up some Rivella to try.  It is the real Swiss deal. Rivella makes me want to go blow an Alpine horn in the mountains and yell "Ri-vella" (instead of "Ri-cola")!

. . . I know, that was a horrendous joke.  Okay, back to the honeymoon.  More posts soon!

Greetings, from Switzerland!

I just wanted to send everyone a quick update about my whereabouts. The beau and I have been having a wonderful time in Switzerland, eating what the Swiss eat. (Check out this McDonald's advertisement from the streets of Zurich for an idea of a classic difference between American and Swiss food--the cheese!)


In Switzerland, for a typical breakfast, we will have a buttery croissant with butter and preserves and hot chocolate; for lunch, we will have a crusty round of bread with hot wurst and mustard; and for dinner, we will dunk cubes of chewy white bread into a gooey fondue pot of melted gruyere and emmenthaler cheese.

I have so much more to write about the Swiss food I have been having here, but it may have to wait until I return to the States. I can't wait to catch up with all of you, and hope you are all doing well!