Switzerland
Swiss cuisine includes many regional influences, including French, German and Italian cuisines and also features many dishes specific to Switzerland. Switzerland was historically a country of farmers, so traditional Swiss dishes tend to be plain and made from simple ingredients, such as potatoes and cheese.
There are many regional dishes in Switzerland. One example is Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, thin strips of veal with mushrooms in a cream sauce served with Rösti. Italian cuisine is popular in contemporary Switzerland, mostly pasta and pizza. Foods often associated with Switzerland include cheese and chocolate. Swiss cheeses, in particular Emmental cheese, Gruyère, Vacherin, and Appenzeller, are famous Swiss products. The most popular cheese dishes are fondue and raclette. Both these dishes were originally regional dishes, but were popularized by the Swiss Cheese Union to boost sales of cheese. In the 2005 Michelin Guide, Switzerland ranked 2nd worldwide in terms of stars awarded per capita.
In Switzerland, breakfast typically includes bread, butter or margarine, marmalade or honey, maybe some cheese or cereals, plus milk, cold or hot chocolate, tea or coffee. There is a variety of bread rolls available in Switzerland. Lunch may be as simple as a sandwich or a birchermüesli or it could be a complete meal. Depending on what people had for lunch, dinner can be a full main course or just some bread, cheese, maybe some dried meat or any other light meal.
Drinks range from plain water, over different types of soft drinks including most internationally well-known brands plus some local products, to a great variety of beers and wines. Hot drinks include many different flavors of tea and coffee. Tarts and quiches are also traditional Swiss dishes; tarts in particular are made with all sorts of toppings, from sweet apple to onion.