Lake Geneva Region

Potatoes, leeks and a tasty pork-and-cabbage sausage: that's papet vaudois, the favourite dish of residents of the Lake Geneva Region. According to legend, this delicacy was created in the village of Orbe more than 1,100 years ago. The locals had insufficient meat to feed the king and his entourage who were passing through, so they added cabbage to the sausages to make the meat go further. The king was impressed – and the villagers had created a unique dish.

Gourmets like it hot: they place the pine-wood box in silver foil, pour a tangy white wine over the cheese, and bake it all in the oven. Served with potatoes, crispy bread and nuts, this "mini-fondue", unique worldwide, is an exquisite delicacy. Try it for yourself – either at home, or in one of our cosy and welcoming restaurants.

These crispy fritters made with cheese, egg, white wine and Kirsch are not free from danger. Quite a few visitors have tasted one, ordered a couple more, then a couple more… the record is supposed to be twelve! The story goes that French-Swiss mercenaries brought the recipe home from the 19th-century Crimean War, perfecting it into today's delicacy.

Féchy, Yvorne, Dézaley: just some of the evocative names of the region's crisp white wines. They are made from the Chasselas grapes that have thrived for more than 800 years on the sunny slopes above Lake Geneva, in the Vully region, around Aigle, and in the region of Yverdon-les- Bains. Chasselas wines make an excellent aperitif, go well with fish, and are the classic accompaniment to fondues. Alongside the red Pinot noir, the white Chasselas is the most extensively cultivated grape variety in Switzerland, as well as one of the most popular.

Raisinée – also known as vin cuit – is age-old culinary alchemy. For night after night in autumn, pear or apple juice is boiled down in large cauldrons over an open wood fire. The thickened juice was once a sugar substitute; now it is served with vanilla ice cream, meringues and crêpes, and forms the filling for exquisite cakes, such as the famous gâteau raisinée.

High up on the lush alpine meadows of the Lake Geneva Region graze the brown-and-white cows that are at the origin of L'Etivaz. They produce the healthy milk for this celebrated summer alpine cheese, which is made in large copper cauldrons over an open fire. This was the first cheese to receive the Swiss AOC (protected designation of origin) label.

Several famous and much-loved sausages originated in the Lake Geneva Region. The best known is the saucisson vaudois, but no less popular is the saucisse aux choux, made with cabbage. The boutefas meanwhile, which can weigh as much as a whopping 2 kilograms, is a monument to the sausage-maker's art.