Swiss Style Charcuterie
Switzerland on a wooden board….
Switzerland. What a country. Twenty four years ago or more I first set foot in this remarkable country as a young, utterly innocent, fresh faced seventeen year old wannabee chef. Back then I couldn’t peel a carrot, drive a car, kiss a girl..you name it. Fast forward to 2010 and I’m back, girls have been kissed, cars driven and the carrot peeling turned into running nine kitchens in three countries but still I can’t work Switzerland out.
Back in nineteen eighty something or other I worked in the German speaking part of the country, this time around I’ve been to the French side. Take the train from Geneva to Montreaux, swap trains and take in the most stunning scenery for an hour or so and you’ll find yourself where I did last week. Driving from the airport through Geneva isn’t the most awe inspiring journey it has to be said but it is a valid reminder that Switzerland isn’t a country solely for the über rich, run down houses with makeshift washing lines border the railway lines, edging the inner riches housed within the city center.
I recalled a young couple, way back when who told me that despite them both working as chemists they could only ever hope to rent a house on their salary such was (and still is) the cost of living. It’s easy to have a one dimensional view of life in Switzerland but dig below the surface and you see a much different picture.
Years on and with a better appreciation for the cost of living I ventured into this particular Swiss village to try out the local food to get a better understanding of our own restaurant’s competition and what the Swiss call ‘value for money’.
I was intrigued by the sound of the charcuterie de maison pour deux persons, a board of freshly sliced local charcuterie. I went into the kitchen to ask the chef about the meat and where he got it from. I watched as he sliced thin slivers from salami, prosciutto, speck and saucisson, placing them on a wooden board with some cornichons and a basket of wonderfully crusty French style bread. This is my idea of a starter, the produce does the talking with no need for silly, irrelevent garnishes. Straight forward, top quality and typically Swiss.
The air dried ham was magnificent, I sat and ate it with a glass of red wine besides a small fire place set into the wall some hundred years old. Outside the snow fell whilst there I sat, alone with a brief respite from the pressures of being an all together different kind of chef and I thought about my first, formative years and how the boy had become a man.
Assorted Swiss Charcuterie
Miles,
Seeing this photo reminds me of platters being served in Wine Cellars in Germany. They were called “Aufschnitt Teller” that comprised these same assorted meats etc. It went perfectly with the local Riesling wines.
Anne
January 29, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
Miles,
That’s a thing of beauty and something you’re highly unlikely to get in this country. Considering we are a nation of pig farmers I don’t understand why we have such a mass of watery bacon and ham for sale.
Loved your thoughts on life in Switzerland…. it’s not something I’ve thought much about but since you mention it, I had a similar conversation with a couple in Holland years ago… they couldn’t afford to buy a house either on a joint salary as computer analysts…. same with acquaintances in Japan and Germany. Strangely enough all those in question had great social lives and enjoyed a high standard of restaurant/cafe food…. perhaps you can’t have it all?!
Cid
January 29, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
Anne,
Thought you’d approve
Miles
January 30, 2010 @ 8:39 am
Cid,
A great comment, why do we get i so wrong, so often in England? Apart from Wabberthwaite style prosciutto in Cumbria I never come across anyone doing proper charcuteries and it’s such a shame.
Very true re the difference in lifestyles, I’ll stick to my house that I own rather than eat out in some of the restaurants where I live!!
Miles
January 30, 2010 @ 8:42 am
Death on a plate
January 30, 2010 @ 10:23 am
Its a Recherche du Temps Perdue on a plate! I love it!!
Funny how simple sense memories can bring out the contemplative side. I liked your musings on the boy become a man.
Although the charcuterie may be difficult to find in the UK, you do serve up some lovely Ploughman’s Lunches. Miles posted about them some time ago and I shared my experiences of one in an impossibly foggy Portsmouth that featured a homemade sourdough and a homegrown Stilton. Simply delicious!
Nice post Miles - like the reflection!
Laura
January 30, 2010 @ 2:38 pm
Forgot to mention that the housing issue I’ve seen in Austria - where building a home has become a generational task (unless you are a wealthy Swiss buying up the property and driving the prices up). Its also happening in some California markets where a reasonable middle-class home (not too fancy) is 1.4 million. Have colleagues at Livermore who have to rent because they cannot afford to buy within commutable distance.
January 30, 2010 @ 2:43 pm
Laura,
Well said! I should have changed the blog title to ‘Recherche…..’
Ploughman’s, well remembered and a valid point. It’s just a shame we don’t make more of the noble pig, that’s all.
Interesting what you say about the housing in California, it’s going to have to change here soon or nobody of average income and below will be buying.
Miles
January 30, 2010 @ 2:56 pm