Carnival is certainly a big thing in Switzerland, the time to have fun and enjoy life involving all senses, including taste. Switzerland has some great Carnival food specialities not to miss out and, in this period, with limited chances to get out, it makes sense as never before, to enjoy them, at home with family and close friends.
The Flour soup (Basler Mehlsuppe) for example is the traditional dish and gourmet kick off symbol of the Basler Fasnacht, as it is normally enjoyed at 3 am of the Morgestraich day, when the Basel Carnival starts. The soup warms you up and it is a great dish to enjoy in cold winter months. The proposed version in our recipe is prepared with the Fermento amber ale beer to add a spicy aromatic note, particularly pleasant with the topping Cheese, the Alte Tante (alternatively to Gruyere) here used grated as topping onto the soup.
Blut-und Leberwurst served with potatoes and Sauerkrauter is also very traditional not only in the area of Basel but also in the whole of Switzerland. Sometimes, in the preparation, sausages are accompanied by a delicate sweet apple mousse (Apfelmousse). In the Swiss tradition, this dish is consumed with a cold Blonde or Weiss beer. An alternative tasteful beer pairing is the combination with a dark Belgian brown abbey beer. Slightly sweet flavoured and with a rich texture, this beer is brewed using darkly roasted malts and it is the perfect match for this fantastic dish, going superbly with both the apple mousse and the sauerkraut.
And to complete in sweetness this traditional Swiss Fasnacht dinner, desserts and beer! Prepare your glasses and feel them up with the Stout and Imperial Stouts (classic black beer) and indulge yourself with the Schenkeli, a deep-fried stick very similar to the Churros, to be enjoyed at end of a meal or as a snack. The chocolate and coffee aroma of the Stout will make you even forget of wanting a coffee.
The other traditional Fasnacht dessert is the Fascnachtschüechli or its Tessin version called Chiacchiere. This is also a deep-fried sweet, very thin that shall be enjoyed as crunchiest as possible! And the trick for its preparation is in the recipe. A little blond beer will give to the Chiacchiere that extra crunchy texture. And by the way, when eating the Chiacchiere, the Belgian fruity beers (cherry or raspberry flavoured) are the best to be enjoyed with.
Enjoy the Fasnacht, enjoy the traditional dishes and enjoy the beer!
Basler Mehlsuppe with beer (recipe for four – preparation time 1h ca.)
Ingredients
Tessin Chiacchiere with beer (recipe for four – preparation time 30 min ca.)
Ingredients