• Switzerland Guide

  • Introduction to Switzerland
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Getting around
  • Money
  • Entry requirements
  • Public holidays

• Explore Switzerland

  • Geneva
  • Lausanne and Lake Geneva
  • The Arc Jurassien
  • Basel
  • Bern
  • The Emmental
  • Solothurn
  • Fribourg
  • The Bernese Oberland
  • Valais
  • Luzern
  • Zentralschweiz
  • Zürich
  • Ostschweiz and Liechtenstein
  • Graubünden
  • Ticino

• Cities

  • Basel
    
  • Bern
    
  • Geneva
    
  • Lausanne
    
  • Luzern
    
  • Schaffhausen
    
  • St Gallen
    
  • Winterthur
    
  • Zürich
    

Switzerland Guide

The Emmental

Just outside the eastern city limits of Bern rises the Bantiger mountain (947m) and behind it stretches the Emmental, a quintessentially Swiss landscape of peaceful, vibrantly green hills dotted with happily munching brown cows, sleepy rustic hamlets and isolated timber-built dairies. This is where Emmental cheese (the one with the holes) originates.

Emmentaler architecture is distinctive, the local timber-built inns and dairies crowned by huge roofs with overarching eaves, ringed by wooden balconies, and encrusted with rows of tiny windows, each with its window box and neatly tied-back set of net curtains.

Emmentaler cooking, featuring cheese or cream with everything, is renowned around the country (this is where you can find some of Switzerland's finest meringue creations) and protected by the Ämmitaler Ruschtig mark ( www.aemmitaler-ruschtig.ch ), which guarantees quality local ingredients and methods. Many inns and restaurants offer – among other dishes – the Ämmitaler Ruschtig menu, a gut-busting four-course blowout for around Fr.50: starting with Beeri Schämpis (sparkling berry wine) and a cheese salad served with the local Züpfe plaited bread, it takes in soup with whipped cream and Chlepfer Ännis Schwynsschnitzu (pork escalope in cream sauce, with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables), then moves on to Meielis Merängge Gschlaber (fresh meringue with whipped cream, ice cream and caramelized cream), before rounding it (and you) off with Schnapps-laced coffee. Local tourist offices and the website have the full list of Ämmitaler Ruschtig establishments.