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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Val-de-Travers
Distilled from wormwood, anise, and fennel, green or colorless, served diluted with cold water and turning cloudy when mixed. Production began in the Val-de-Travers, in the canton of Neuchâtel, at the end of the 18th century, and it was banned in Switzerland from 1910 to 2005.
Traditional drink from Val-de-Travers, Neuchâtel
Also known as: Fée verte, La Bleue, absinthe du Val-de-Travers
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Absinthe — Val-de-Travers, Switzerland
Absinthe is a distilled spirit made with the plant of the same name, wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), together with anise, fennel and other herbs. The Val-de-Travers, a valley in the Jura in the canton of Neuchâtel, is considered the historical birthplace of the drink: the plant was used as a remedy, and absinthe liquor began to be produced there at the end of the 18th century, first artisanally and later on an industrial scale. In the 19th century, about twenty distilleries operated in the valley.
Absinthe gained fame across Europe at the end of the 19th century, especially in France, where it became the drink of cafés and artists and earned the nickname “the green fairy.” At the same time it came to be accused of causing madness and violence. In Switzerland, after a widely publicized crime, the people approved an initiative in 1908 to ban the drink, which was written into the Constitution; the ban took effect in 1910.
In the Val-de-Travers, however, distillation never stopped. For nearly a century, producers continued to make absinthe clandestinely, especially the colorless version called La Bleue, which was easier to hide. The prohibition was removed from the Constitution in the 1999 revision, and production and sale became legal again on March 1, 2005, with limits on thujone, one of the plant’s substances. Producers in the valley have long sought a protected geographical indication for absinthe; the matter is still under discussion.
The drink is strong, generally over 45% alcohol, and is not drunk neat. The traditional ritual consists of dripping very cold water over the measure, sometimes through a sugar cube placed on a perforated spoon, until the mixture becomes milky and releases the aromas of anise and herbs. It is also used in cooking, in chocolates and desserts.
In Môtiers, the Maison de l'Absinthe tells this history in the building where clandestine distillers were tried, and the valley maintains wormwood plantations and distilleries open to visits. As with any high-proof alcoholic drink, absinthe is enjoyed in small doses and diluted.
Val-de-Travers , Neuchâtel
The valley is the historical birthplace of absinthe, produced there since the late 18th century. Depends on the city of Val-de-Travers having been established earlier.
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), green anise, fennel, other aromatic herbs (such as hyssop and lemon balm) and distilled alcohol; in green versions, herbs macerated after distillation give the color.
In a small dose, diluted with three to five parts very cold water, dripped slowly, sometimes over a sugar cube on a perforated spoon, until the drink turns cloudy. Do not drink neat.
Aperitif; also an ingredient in chocolates and desserts. Strong alcoholic beverage: moderate consumption, by adults.
Your questions
At the beginning of the 20th century, the drink came to be accused of causing madness and violence. After a widely publicized crime, the Swiss people approved the ban in 1908, which remained in force from 1910 to 2005.
In a small dose, diluted with very cold water dripped slowly, sometimes over a sugar cube on a perforated spoon, until the drink turns cloudy. Do not drink neat.
It is the colorless absinthe of the Val-de-Travers, the version most produced during the clandestine period because it was easier to disguise.
Flavors of Switzerland
The solid chocolate bar that made Switzerland a world reference from the 19th century onward, with mechanized production by Cailler, Daniel Peter’s milk chocolate in Vevey, and Rodolphe Lindt’s conching in Bern.
Melted cheese with white wine in a caquelon, kept warm over a burner, into which each person dips bread cubes on a long fork. Promoted as a national dish from the 1930s onward, it is served across Switzerland in the cold months.
Hard honey biscuit with almonds, hazelnuts, candied orange and lemon peel and kirsch, covered by a thin layer of sugar. Mentioned in Basel at least since 1711, it is the city’s most closely associated sweet specialty.
Large platter with several cooked and smoked meats and sausages, served over sauerkraut and green beans, with potatoes. It is the festive dish of Bernese cuisine, traditionally linked to the victory at Neuenegg in 1798.
Grated potato patty fried in butter until a golden crust forms on both sides. It was the breakfast of peasants in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, including the canton of Bern, and became a symbol of German-speaking Switzerland, even lending its name to the Röstigraben.
Dry, crunchy meringues served with Gruyère crème double, a thick cream with at least 45% fat. The quintessential dessert of the Bénichon feast, it is one of the symbols of the Gruyère region in the canton of Fribourg.
Chocolate cauldron bearing the coat of arms of Geneva, filled with marzipan vegetables and sweets, which is broken at the end of the Escalade celebration in December. It recalls the legend of Mère Royaume and the defense of the city on the night of December 11–12, 1602.
Shortcrust pastry tart, closed on top, filled with chopped walnuts coated in caramel and cream. It is the best-known sweet specialty of Graubünden, linked to pastry chefs who emigrated from the Engadine to work elsewhere in Europe.
Chard leaf rolls filled with spätzli-like dough and Bündnerfleisch (air-dried beef) or local salami, cooked in broth and milk and gratinated with cheese. Emblematic dish of Graubünden, originating in the Surselva, with as many recipes as there are families.
Puff-pastry dome filled with veal, meatballs, mushrooms and raisins in a creamy sauce. It’s named for the city and canton of Lucerne and is also called Fritschipastete, after the local carnival figure.
Dense cake made from day-old bread soaked in milk, with cocoa, amaretti, raisins, pine nuts and often a splash of grappa. Born from a desire not to waste bread, it is considered the quintessential Ticino sweet and every family has its own recipe.
Half a wheel of cheese held close to the fire, with the melted part scraped onto the plate and served with boiled potatoes in their skins, pickled cornichons and pearl onions. It originated in Valais and was presented as a Valais national dish in 1909.
Rustic purée of leek and potato cooked in water and white wine, served with saucisse aux choux, a smoked pork-and-cabbage sausage. It is the best-known culinary specialty of the canton of Vaud and is part of its intangible heritage.
Layered cake of almond meringue discs and a sponge soaked in kirsch syrup, with buttercream, covered with almonds and powdered sugar in a diamond pattern. Created in Zug by pastry chef Heinrich Höhn, who advertised it in 1915.
A mixture of soaked rolled oats, grated apple, walnuts or almonds, lemon and milk, created around 1900 by physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients at his clinic in Zurich. It gave rise to the muesli eaten worldwide.
Thin strips of veal sautéed and served in a cream, white wine and mushroom sauce. It’s the dish Zurich residents name first when talking about the city’s cuisine, almost always accompanied by rösti.
