Food

       Food in Switzerland is influenced by the regions where its main languages have come from; Germany, France, and Italy. The main ingredients in their dishes are cheese, potatoes and their delicacy known as chocolate. Switzerland was known as a farming country which is why many of their dishes are based around potatoes and dairy.

        Modern Italian foods are popular in Switzerland as they are in the United States; pasta and pizza are among the best. Cheese is one of their main products and they are known for having cheeses that are specific to certain regions. Emmental is one cheese that is produced in the corresponding region. Other popular cheese include Vacherin, and Appenzeller.

Swiss Breakfast:

·        Bread and butter

·        Honey

·        Cereal and milk

·        Hot chocolate/tea/coffee

·        Cheese

Lunch:

·        Pasta

·        Potatoes

·        Meat

·        Fish/seafood

·        Vegetables

·        Vegetarian dishes are becoming more popular

Dinner:

·        This meal will depend on what was eaten for lunch

·        Sometimes only a small snack is needed

Common dishes:

·         Fondue - This is a famous Swiss food made of melted cheese. Bread pieces or potato pieces are dipped in cheese.

·         Rosti - This is a common swiss dish made from grated potatoes that are raw or cooked.

·         Pastetli - This is a popular food in Switzerland. It is a meat pie with different fillings which include meat and mushrooms with cream sauce.

Chocolate facts:

·        Christopher Columbus discovered the cocoa bean when he was in the Honduras. He used them as a currency and as a drink

·        Hernando Cortez was the first one to realize how important they were and continued grow them as currency

·        In 1528 Cortez introduced the bean to Europe and brought the equipment to prepare the drink

·        Spain did not enjoy the flavor of chocolate because it was bitter and too spicy-they worked on adding other ingredients to it for a better taste

·        Heinrich Escher who was the mayor of Zurich, Switzerland at the time went to Belgium and discovered chocolate; he brought it home for other officials to eat at a feast in 1697

·        In 1722 chocolate was banned from the country because it was thought to have affects related to drug use

·        The Italians brought the chocolate drink back to Switzerland several years later and opened up a warehouse

·        At first the Swiss were not pleased by it but the chocolate industry began to expand and by 1792 the first chocolate shop was in Bern, Switzerland

·        By the end of the 19^th century the quality of chocolate as improving because they started using processes such as tempering and conching

·        The average Swiss person eats about 23 pounds of chocolate a year. This is compared to Americans who eat about 11 pounds per year

Swiss Chocolate

Statistics:

Obesity Rate:

8.2% (2007)

country comparison to the world: 59 


Agriculture (1% of GDP): 
Products:
dairy (21%)
Livestock (25%)
grains (4%)
fruit and wine (10%) 
vegetables (14%)
Arable land (1999)--26%.