Culinary highlights – Basel's Fasnacht (carnival) is a feast for the senses that begins with the Morgenstraich procession at 4am. Colourful masks, lanterns and costumes abound, as do three Fasnacht specialities whose... more
Culinary highlights – Läckerli translates roughly as small and scrumptious: a fitting name for... more
Fribourg Region – A speciality from Lake Neuchâtel is the bondelle, a native... more
Basel Fasnacht: food to celebrate
Culinary highlights – Basel's Fasnacht (carnival) is a feast for the senses that begins with the Morgenstraich procession at 4am. Colourful masks, lanterns and costumes abound, as do three Fasnacht specialities whose aroma fills the air for Basel's "three most beautiful days": Mehlsuppe (brown flour soup), Zwiebelwähe (onion tart) and Fastenwähe, a caraway-seed pretzel enjoyed with beer.
Lip-smacking Läckerli
Culinary highlights – Läckerli translates roughly as small and scrumptious: a fitting name for this sweet delicacy. This Basel biscuit, reminiscent of gingerbread, was once only eaten at New Year, but it has since become a bestseller, exported all over the world. Because a genuine Basel Läckerli is quite hard, a connoisseur will break it into pieces, and let them dissolve in the mouth. That way the full bouquet of flavours comes to the fore: honey, almonds, candied fruits and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Bondelles: smoked whitefish
Fribourg Region – A speciality from Lake Neuchâtel is the bondelle, a native species of whitefish, which is smoked according to ancient recipes. There is also a great tradition of fishing on Lake Murten, where there are still fishing families. Other delicacies here include pike and perch fillets: most memorably enjoyed on a terrace with views of the lake.
