Beginning in France… it would be a crying shame to not try the delicious Tartiflette, the mixture of onion, garlic, cheese and sliced potatoes with browned crispy bacon lardons, finished off with a generous layer of creamy reblochon cheese. This is a meal you deserve after an energetic day out on the slopes.
However for skiers planning to get back on the slopes after lunch, a good option is the Soup Aux Callious (or stone soup in English), a hearty vegetable soup, traditionally cooked with a few stones rolling around in the soup as a make-shift blender.Those with a sweet tooth, can indulge in a slice of Tarte Aux Myrtilles. Whilst those who prefer to end the meal with a tipple or two can try the local Genepi. Comparable to absinth, this sweet liqueur is green in colour and derives from the high altitude plant, Wormwood.
Austria is a strong contender with its Alpine signature dishes. Tuck into a Tiroler gröstl, a scrumptious hash brown. Onions, fried potato and meat seasoned with a mixture of special herbs and spices, giving it a distinctive flavour. What’s not to like?
Schnitzel mit preiselbeeren is the one! It goes without saying, you can’t leave Austria without eating a Schnitzel – this flattened veal wrapped in fried golden-crisp batter may sound fairly simple but it goes down a treat with a cold beer.
Now for desert – true, apple strudel is a safe option, but the lesser known Germknödel is far more daring. When you take a mouthful of this dumpling, you reach the soft centre filled with tart plum jam, sweetened by the outer coating of melted butter dipped in icing sugar and poppy seeds.
Après ski, relax with a Jägertee (nothing like a Jägermeister). A fusion of flavours including red wine, plum schnapps spiced rum, orange juice and tea with a touch of lemon, cinnamon and cloves to give it an extra winter kick.
Crossing over to neighbouring Switzerland there are many tasty warming dishes waiting for you.
Although of course fondue comes to mind there are many other dishes to try. The famous Raclette is a must-try, roasted cheese dish, where you heat the salted cheese on a grill or in the open fire, once the cheese has melted you scrape (racler is the French verb for scrape) on to your plate accompanied by boiled potatoes, mini gherkins, pickled onions and charcuterie.
The Swiss rösti is the perfect mountain comfort food, the crispness of the fried mashed potato melts in your mouth with every bite, while the Alpermagronnen is the Swiss answer to macaroni cheese. The Alpine touch is a splash of cinnamon spiced apple sauce with a sprinkling of caramelised onions on top. To accompany dinner why not get a bottle of Petite Arvine for the table, a delightful local white wine which comes from the grapes of the Valais region.
While potatoes may be the Swiss and French staple, the Italian Alps are all about the lesser known cornmeal-made Polenta. Although potatoes may be the preferred option those sceptical of polenta have not tried it at its finest, made from scratch and slowly cooked with a sprinkling of herbs, finally served with a rich, slow-cooked meat dish. The Italians do it well.
The charcuterie of Italian choice is Bresaola, the tasty salted cured beef from the Valtellina region, where the beef is hung for three months to give it a deep distinctive flavouring.
Feeling like eating something a bit different and go for “Priest stranglers”, the zany name given to a dish of succulent light spinach dumplings. To compliment your meal don’t forget to order the earthy red Lagrein, a delicious local wine from the Trentino region.
