Alps Foodie Adventure: Top 5 Dishes & Drinks You Need to Try

The Alps, that towering mountain range that cuts across Europe, is so much more than scenic views and world-class skiing, is that it also has this delicious culinary scene that is just waiting for you to discover it. Yeah, these foods, drawing influences from France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria, very much present eats that will keep you warm and happy even when it’s snowy out. Well, you can forget those tourist trap restaurants, so that we’re taking a look at eats that people living in the Alps region, or at least the folks that go there often, actually enjoy, now that, yeah, it could be exactly what you were after. Alright, we are looking at the top 5 must-try foods and drinks for your Alps vacation.

1. Fondue: The Cheesy Heart of the Alps

Oh, fondue, arguably that’s the poster child of Alpine comfort eats. Essentially that is melted cheese served in a communal pot over a portable stove, and with that people use long-stemmed forks to dip chunks of bread into all of that molten goodness. So, its origins lie in Switzerland, but versions of this treat can be found all over the Alps. Anyway, it is that blend of Gruyère and Emmental cheeses that seems so divine, sometimes doctored up a bit with garlic and white wine, that makes each bite just the most awesome. As a matter of fact, there are those tales of old that if someone loses their bread in the fondue, they must kiss their neighbor, or buy the next round. Honestly, this is quite just what you want after a day on the slopes, very that, now, that’s an authentic cultural experience!

2. Raclette: Cheese Scraped Right to Your Plate

So, speaking of yummy cheeses, next up we have raclette, arguably very much a cheese lover’s dream. Just picture that; a giant wheel of cheese, so that its surface is melted and then scraped directly onto your plate. I mean that, just so you know, raclette gets its name from the French word “racler,” and it means “to scrape,” and also you’re eating it exactly how the name implies. Anyway, the cheese is often served with potatoes, pickles, and dried meats. Oh, this really hits all the right notes: it is salty, it is tangy, it is comforting, very much a celebration of cheese at its purest. Frankly, if you get the chance to have raclette done the classic way, with the cheese melted by an open fire, well it can be an experience you won’t soon forget, pretty that, just that simple act of watching the cheese melt and bubble before it is scraped onto your plate actually becomes its own art form. That said, do make sure to ask where the cheese actually comes from; very the cheese produced in small Alpine farms has a different depth of taste as opposed to any commercially produced version.

3. Tartiflette: Potatoes, Bacon, and Reblochon Heaven

Okay, shifting a bit to a potato-based eats that’s oh so savory, you’ll have tartiflette. Pretty much originating from the Savoie region of France, tartiflette is that hearty casserole, really often lauded for keeping your body full of fuel on long and demanding ski trips, constructed with potatoes, bacon, onions, and of course, Reblochon cheese. Of course, you see those potatoes and bacon that is layered then baked till golden brown and bubbly, pretty that the rich, nutty Reblochon melting completely through the dish. Essentially, this one is both rustic and refined, well a pretty great display of how basic ingredients that work so well together really make for a transcendent meal. Seemingly there are locals who debate just whose family prepares tartiflette the ‘right’ way, however that does not detract at all from tartiflette is one of France’s, or even the Alps’, most famed, most requested, and certainly cherished eats. Oh yeah, you are likely to be left very satisfied.

4. Génépi: The Herbal Elixir of the Mountains

So, enough about cheese for just a bit, because let’s chat about an herbal concoction native to the Alps: Génépi. Actually, this herbal liqueur gets made from types of artemisia that tend to grow at quite high altitudes. Frankly, so many compare Génépi’s taste and strength to that of absinthe, but with its distinct herbal and floral notes all on their own. Alright, locals tend to take Génépi as a digestif, that, too it’s almost, they use it to soothe and ease your stomach right following a large, cheese-heavy meal. Of course there is a version you can make, a bit a homemade brew that can greatly vary in strength, quality, and particularly in flavor, and also that’s a testament to the fact that people add their family secrets to the batch every so often. Oh, you should just know that finding that perfect Génépi, the brand, or small batch, really sings to you is something every Alps traveler will have their own opinion on, you know.

5. Swiss Wine: A Hidden Alpine Gem

Just when it comes to wine, Switzerland mostly stays under the radar, yet the Swiss have pretty great wine regions scattered throughout their Alpine landscape. Actually, often grown on steep terraces along lakes and valleys, Swiss wines get a unique character all of their own. First you’ll discover white wines primarily from the Chasselas grape. A bit subtle and mineral-driven, that’s exactly the great sort of refreshment that’s welcome on just a warm Alpine day. More or less, there’s red wine too, so that the Pinot Noir really finds a home in those Alpine slopes. Clearly, owing mostly to strict local consumption there isn’t the most quantity of Swiss wines exported every year, yet still, visiting those vineyards can provide views to die for coupled alongside wine that you mostly will not find anywhere else. Anyway, so that there you have it; the five culinary experiences you’ve just got to try out during your time in the Alps.

Read our full review: Alps Food and Drink Full Review and Details