Food Tours

I will probably get blasted for saying this, but in my opinion Swiss cuisine is meh! There are more good Swiss products than Swiss dishes it seems to me. Switzerland is multicultural and depending on the region you are in you can find Italian, French, German and Austrian cuisine. In fact, there are numerous other ethnic restaurants that are quite good. I would suggest instead of looking for a food tour, look for a cheese making facility like in Gruyeres and many chocolate facilities as well. In fact, in the Gruyeres area there is cheese making and the tour of Maison Cailler chocolate factory. Also, check Viator they offer food tours. Enjoy.

There are multiple Swiss cuisines, divided like Switzerland by language. The language boundary between German and French speaking areas is nicknamed the "Röstigraben", the "Rösti moat/divide", because Rösti potatoes are a staple in German-speaking areas, but unknown in French speaking areas.

Sorry, I don't know of any food tours, but you will find 3 distinct cuisines, Germanic, French and Italian. Plus tourist areas where they offer "international" dishes, and fondue in summer (Fondue is a winter dish!).
this is my list of dishes, some local to North-West Switzerland, which I have come to enjoy.

• Nüsslisalat - a small-leafed winter salad, usually served (like all salads) as a starter. Often served with chopped hard boiled egg and bacon pieces. Known as Feldsalat in Germany. Rampon or Doucette in French. There is no common English name as it is unknown.
• Spätzli - similar to gnocchi. Small pieces of dumpling mix, quickly pan-fried. Served as the carbohydrate with dished. Also common in SW Germany (Baden-Württemberg), where it is spelled "Spätzle".
• Eglifisch - Small fresh-water fish. Often served in batter. Fish in Switzerland is mostly fresh-water, Switzerland not having a sea-going fishing fleet.
• Rösti - chopped and fried potatoes. Available everywhere in German speaking Switzerland.
• Wild (Game) - Hirsch (stag), Reh (deer), Wildschwein (wild boar). Seasonal dishes available September to December. Often served with Red cabbage, Marroni (chestnuts) and Spätzli.
• Leberli mit Rösti - Liver, local Basel dish, served with Madeira (wine) sauce.
• Plätzli - A pork steak.
• Salads - usually served as a starter. You will be asked what sort of sauce (salad dressing) you want with it. Either French (dairy based) or Italian (vinaigrette based).
• "Beilage" = side dishes, usually vegetables. When you order a meat main course, it often does not include Beilage, and you have to order these separately. If in doubt ask.

I agree with Threadwear. We love Switzerland but seeking out international cuisine is usually our plan, or cooking in the apartment. Roesti and sausage or pork gets old, fondue is fondue. Chris does a great job of pointing out specialties but it is all heavy to my taste.

When and where are you traveling?

As said before, Swiss cuisine is very diverse, regional and seasonal. Starting in the East, in Graubünden, you get Capuns (dumblings made of “Spätle – dough” with dried meat in it and all rolled into a leave of Swiss chard, usually it’s served with a cream/cheese sauce), Pizzocheri (similar to “Spätzle”), Bündner Gerstensupp (Barley soup with milk, bacon, leek and carrot). Graubünden and Wallis are famous for dried meat called “Bündnerfleisch” or “Walliser Trockenfleisch”. In restaurant it’s often served as part of a plate of different kinds of dried meat, including Salami (which is not just produced in Italy but also in the Ticino) and different kind of cheese and bread.
Eastern Switzerland: Biberli is a desert/pasty you can get in every grocery store, although it is a specialty from Appenzell. St. Gallen is famous for its Olma Bratwurst.
Zürich’s specialty is “Zürcher Gschnätzlets” (veil and maybe mushrooms in a creamy sauce, often served with Rösti).
In or near the train stations of Zürich, Bern and Luzern you have Hiltl or Tibits restaurants. It is a Swiss restaurant chain serving very tasty vegan food.
In central Switzerland you have Älplermacrone (mac and cheese with cream, potatoes and sometimes bacon or ham). Luzern is also famous for its “Luzerner Lebkuchen” which is a kind of gingerbread, but different, eaten as dessert and found in Bakeries. In Luzern you have the “Lozärner Chügeli-Pastete”, which is a “bowl” of puff pastry filled with sausage meat balls and chopped veil or chicken meat, usually served with rice. It’s a traditional carnival meal.
Another traditional carnival meal is “Mehlsuppe” a soup made of flour, famous for Basel. Or in fall you often see pumpkin soup on the menus.
In Zug you have the “Zuger Kirschtorte” which is a very tasty cake with cherry flavoured Schnapps.
Aargau is famous for its carrots, so you have the carrot cake there.
Another Swiss specialty are the different kinds of “Wähe”, a flat cake with either fruits (apricots, plums, apples etc.) on top (eaten as a dessert or an evening meal) or savoury kinds that are filled with cheese or spinach. They are often found in Bakeries.
Bern has a “Berner Platte” which consists of different kind of meats, such as cooked bacon, cooked ham etc. and sauerkraut. Also famous for Bern is the “Meringue” which is a baiser topped with whipped cream, sometimes served with ice cream.
Then there are the different kinds of fish (Egli, Zander, trout, salmon) that you get fried, grilled, cooked and either served with rice, boiled potatoes or salad. Speaking of salad, there’s the “Wurstsalat”, which is a plate of different kind of salat, topped with the famous Swiss Cervelat (sausage).
Ticino is famous for Risotto, Polenta and everything involving chestnuts (especially in fall), such as chestnut cake, chestnut bread etc. In fall a Swiss dessert is “Vermicelle” which is made of chestnut paste.
In the French speaking part, they also eat Rösti, but have their own specialties. Vaud has a leek/potato dish with sausage called “Papet Vaudois”, and there are also alternatives to Cheese Fondue, such as Fondue Chinois: thinly sliced meat (veal, beef, chicken etc.) dunked in broth and served with different sauces, fries or rice and Fondue Bourguignonne, which is similar, although the meat is not sliced, but chopped into pieces and dunked into hot oil.
See, we don’t live just on cheese, Rösti and sausage. Maybe armed with this information you could put together your own food tour.