A new cookbook, Recettes du terroir neuchâtelois (in French), offers you that opportunity, with more than 150 recipes designed for your home kitchen. These recipes range from centuries-old dishes to favorites from local restaurants, as well as foods you may find served at the family dinner table.

Would you like to learn more about the culinary traditions in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel?

The cookbook’s authors — both accomplished chefs that have called Neuchâtel home since the 1960s, also included some of their own recipes from over the years. Francis Grandjean published the first edition of this cookbook in 2002, to coincide with the Swiss National Exposition. He has had a long and successful career in the field of gastronomy. His former positions include Chef de cuisine at the Beau-Rivage Hotel and an instructor at the Centre professional du Littoral neuchâtelois (CPLN). For the second edition of his book, with its release occurring by chance during Neuchâtel’s reign as the Ville du Goût 2017, he turned to his friend and colleague, Jean-Pierre Berthonneau to serve as his co-author. Berthonneau, also with an impressive culinary career, is the former chef at the Hôtel duPeyrou, where the launch event for the cookbook took place. He has also worked as an instructor at CPLN.

An Emphasis on Produits du Terroir

Before you reach the recipes in the book, you will find an introduction to the various produits du terroir (local products) of Neuchâtel. After the recipes, the authors also provide instructions for making a “plateau de fromage neuchâtelois.” It describes the types of cheeses to use and appropriate accompaniments. Finally, there are nine suggested menus, for different seasons or special dietary considerations, as well as a glossary of terms used in the cookbook. With features like these, along with the detailed instructions, remarks and variations included with the recipes, the book resembles a textbook. It’s not surprising considering its authors are two former cooking instructors.

Years ago, I found the first edition of Recettes du terroir neuchâtelois at our local library. I tried several of the recipes, one of which I adapted and shared via this blog in 2015: Sèches au beurre. I find this new edition to be much improved. It has a brand new selection of recipes I look forward to using. In my opinion, if you are looking for a good overview of Neuchâtel’s food products and recipes, I think this cookbook should be part of your collection.

You can find Recettes du terroir neuchâtelois at the Payot Librarie in Neuchâtel. Or, you capurchase it directly from the publisher for CHF 39 (plus postage): Editions Messeiller