Swiss cuisine in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines- In Cebu, there is only one opportunity to taste the Cuisine of Switzerland - in an annual event that happens on August 1 at the Marco Polo Cebu Plaza Hotel. And it happens because the hotel's GM, Hans Hauri, is a Swiss national, who started the yearly tradition to celebrate the National Day of the Swiss Confederation.

The recent Cebu celebration was its eighth year. The festivities included the ritual of the traditional ringing of the bells, as well as displays of the Swiss flag, greetings from H.E. Didier Burkhalter, President of the Swiss Confederation (2014), welcome address from the His Excellency Raoul Imbach, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines, and dining on Swiss cuisine.

If you look at the map of Switzerland, you would see that it is a landlocked country in Europe, bordered by Germany on the north, Italy on the south, Austria and Liechtenstein on the east and France on the west. The country's population is small (8,136,700 in 2013) compared to the Metro Manila (11,553, 427). At present, there are 22, 431 Filipinos working in Switzerland. Now, I wonder how many Filipinas are married to Swiss nationals.

Historically, Switzerland was a country of farmers; traditional food consisted of simple of potatoes and cheese. But the Swiss cuisine had since been greatly influenced by the countries at its borders. During Marco Polo's celebration of the Swiss National Day, there were seven food stations.

At the Appetizer Section, Tilsitter and the Appenzeller cheeses were served with traditional breads and cold cuts like Zugenwurst, Lyoner, Landjaeger and Buendnerfleisch, the Alpine style air-dried beef. Cheese Live Cooking had a Raclette Section with the electric tabletop grill to melt the cheese and drip it over potatoes and a Fondue Section where you dip the bread or potatoes in melted cheese.

The Salad Display featured the following green combinations: Cervalat und Kaesesalat (Sausage & Cheese Salad), Bohnensalatmit speck (Bean Salad with Bacon), HoernliSalat  (Shell Pasta Salad with Ham and Mayonnaise) and my favorite, the Kabisallatmit Kummel (Cabbage Salad with Caraway).

At the Roast Section and Meats, FleischKaese (Meat Loaf), Glazed Leg of Ham (the taste was wonderful!) and Assorted Sausages on Sauerkraut (St. GallerKalbsbratwurst, a veal sausage and the Cervelat (Switzerland's national sausage) were on display.

The Main Dishes Section featured two soups, the Zwiebelsuppe (Onion Soup with Croutons) and the BuendnerGerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup) while the following dishes were served: Fried Fish Fillet in Lemon Parsley Butter, Älplermagronen (RoestiAlper Macaroni), Roesti Potatoes, ZuercherGeschnetzeltes (Pork Émincé with Mushrooms), Braised Beef Stew, Spätzle with Gruyere Cheese, Chicken Pork Adobo and Beef Caldereta. And yes, excuse me, you have read it correctly, Adobo and Caldereta for Filipinos who have lived in Switzerland for so long a time that they really crave for this Pinoy delicacy.

While your favorite food critic selected the Cremeschnitte am Meter (Vanilla Napoleon) and the St. GallenKloster Torte (Almond Torte) for dessert, His Excellency Raoul Imbach began to sing and entertain. His performance was evidence that his 10th music album "Souvenirs made in USA" with 14 songs he wrote himself was not an accident. The crowd just loved him and had a wonderful time.