Any particular food delicacy to try while in Swizterland ?

Anu,

One of my favourite items in Switzerland is Rösti. There are several versions available, and it can be served with bacon, onion, cheese, eggs, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6sti

This will provide you with some ideas......

https://www.hoteloberland.ch/wp-content/uploads/Winter-Menu-2016-17-internet.pdf

Thanks Ken . I will definitely try it out .

Gruyere cheese and local red wine. Believe it or not, Switzerland produces some world class red wine. Most people don't realize it because they don't export much of it, it's mostly local consumption. But it's very good.

Try raclette - the lovely melted cheese!

Christi - I saw a video of melted wheels of cheese in a place in New York some time back and I didnt realize we can get that in Switzerland ! Thank you for the info .

What, nobody has said Fondue! It is practically The national dish. It is really winter food, but in tourist areas it is served in summer as well.

Raclette and Rösti have already been mentioned.

Bratwurst (grilled sausages) are common street food.
If you order a salad that is served as a starter, not as an accompaniment to the main course.
If you order a salad, you will be given the option of "Französiche oder Italianische Sauce" (= French or Italian dressing, i.e. dairy based or vinaigrette based).

When you order a main course, it often comes with potatoes ("Pommes Frites" or "Rösti) or with pasta, but not with vegetables.
You can order vegetables as a side dish (see the "Beilage" section on the menu). If you have had a salad starter the Swiss count that as the "vitamins" and don't order vegetables with the main course.

Two local dishes I like here in North-West Switzerland, but these might not be common in the Berner Oberland:
"Leberli mit Rösti in Madeirasauce" = Liver with Rösti in Madeira wine sauce.
"Nüsslisalat" a small-leafed salad, served as a starter.

Mövenpick ice cream is the best.
And don't forget Swiss chocolate!

The language border between the French and German speaking areas is nicknamed the "Röstigraben" (Rösti trench, or the great Rösti divide), because the cuisine in the two halves of Switzerland is very different. In the French speaking areas the cuisine is similar to France, Rösti is rarely seen. In the German speaking areas the food is very different, Rösti is common.

I'm a cheese lover so raclette and fondue were my favorites. Well, I'm also a potato lover so can't forget the rosti.

In Murren, even in the summer, you should be able to find fondue d'alpage (sorry, I only lived in the French side, so I don't the Swiss German name). These artisinal crafted cheeses have a much richer flavor than you've probably experienced anywhere else, even if you've had fondue.

There is also a type of alpine macaroni and cheese, in various variations. In Luzerne I believe they make theirs with apple. Variants of sliced veal in cream sauce with mushrooms, will also be available.

I highly recommend a buttery Rosti, especially topped with cheese and ham, with an egg on top. mmmm....

Love the pastries (torten) in general.

The Engadiner Nusstorte (also called Bündner Nusstorte) was interesting and seemed to come in a variety of shapes but all nut filled. We brought back two versions that we bought at the Coop. If you are in Davos check out the Schneider's Bakery selections: http://www.schneiders-davos.ch/spezialitaeten/buendner-nusstorte.html

Here's another vote for rosti and the surprisingly (to me at least) good Swiss red wine.

following this thread...i'm a little afraid i'm going to starve to death in switzerland as a vegetarian who doesn't really eat dairy... sounds like rosti and pasta all day.

sporkynoodles, there are lots of veggies in Switzerland. Most restaurant have two veggy options.

Start with a salad, "Gemischte Salat" (mixed salad), or "Nüsslisalat". This is sometimes served with Speck (bacon cubes) and croutons. so just ask "Kein Speck, Ich bin ein Vegetarier" (or eine Vegetarierin if female).
Tomato soup is also common.

We forgot Spätzli!
Spätzli is the local carbohydrate. Common in northern Switzerland and south-west Germany. Sort of noodle-like, but made with a dumpling mix. It is served with meat, but you can also have it with veggie options.

And then Rösti, one of the many options is with a fried egg on top.

And Fondue is 100% veggie.

And of course lots of veggie pasta and Pizza. There are lots of Italian restaurants in Switzerland, because of the numbers of Italian immigrants in previous decades. These are often the cheapest restaurants.

If you starve in Switzerland, it will be because of the prices not the food!

Vegetarians should be good as long as they are not gluten intolerant vegans. A lot of good cheese and Swiss cheese are not moldy.

Thank you everybody ! All of you have been so helpful .

Here is a shout out to the Swiss white wine, Fendant. Goes great with fondue.
If it doesn't have cheese in it, I don't know if you could call it Swiss. I always get a kick out of the sound track they play on the underground tram between the Zurich Intercontinental terminal and the main airport. Yodeling, cow bells, and mooing cows. Their way of saying "Welcome to Switzerland".

Raclette is my favorite!!

Frucht kuchen: Fruit tarts--It's custard on a soft thick pie crust base, with seasonal fresh fruit from the area like apricots, cherries, or plums, baked inside the custard.

Ice cream sundaes, like a Coupe Danemark (chocolate sauce over vanilla ice cream, with whipped cream) or a hot mixed berry compote sauce over vanilla ice cream, with whipped cream, or at least 2 scoops of any flavor ice cream with whipped cream (called rahm, or schlag). Don't be embarrassed to order it--everyone does there!

All kinds of fish from the local lakes.

Alplermacronen (creamy macaroni and cheese with potatoes, and sometimes with bacon and onion)

Rösti (Course hash brown potatoes) served with wurst (sausage) with onion sauce.

Gemishte salad (a platter of various kinds of salads)

French salad dressing (Unlike the American version, the Swiss version of French dressing is a creamy herb dressing similar to our Ranch dressing. It's white, not orange.)

Cheese Fondue (They use cheese from local dairy farms.) They serve it with little potatoes, as well as bread, for dipping. You can choose a few ingredients to add, like chunks of garlic or mushrooms, or a sprinkling of local herbs like basil and thyme.

I loved an item we got in Lausanne. I am not sure how to spell it but it was basically a very thin pizza with cheese, garlic and onions. It had a German sounding name. All I can remember is Flamm.

I don't remember the name, but I had the best yogurt EVER in Switzerland. It came in little glass jars that you could return to the grocery store. I didn't even like yogurt before, but the Swiss converted me!

Barbara, it's called Flammkuchen, an Alsatian specialty but also popular in Switzerland.