Continuing my series on Swiss cantonal specialties, here is a list of 11 foods you should try in Vaud (Waadt in German). There are so many more to discover, but I hope this list helps you get started on your culinary journey of this French-speaking canton.

1. Taillé aux Greubons

Greubons is a French word for pork cracklings, the crispy leftovers from rendering lard. In Vaud, you can find cracklings in a Taillé aux Greubons, a thin, rectangular block of puff pastry. Enjoy this savory pastry for a snack or for an apéro with a glass of white wine from Vaud.

2. Papet Vaudois

Papet Vaudois is made with Saucisse aux choux (cabbage sausage). You serve this sausage on a bed of leeks and potatoes, often cooked with a little cream and a splash of white wine. The name Papet apparently a variant of papette, a term from the old French dialect that refers to a porridge or thick soup.

3. Bouchons Vaudois

Bouchon means “cork” in French, and the shape and exterior color of this sweet treat certainly resembles one. The crisp, biscuit shell of a Bouchon Vaudois contains egg whites, sugar, grated almonds and flour. Inside this shell you will find a smooth chocolate and almond praline filling.

4. Malakoffs

Malakoffs are cheese fritters from Vaud, which are also referred to as Beignets de Vinzel. There are different versions of these fritters, most often made with a bread base, but sometimes without. One legend ties the name of this dish to Fort Malakoff, when Swiss mercenaries from Vaud fought alongside the French in the Crimean War during the mid-19th century. They supposedly made a dish of fried cheese. Today, Malakoffs typically involve a mixture of grated cheese and flour scooped onto a round disk of bread, perhaps slathered with some mustard, and then fried. With a crisp exterior and a melty cheese interior, they are a savory treat.

5. Tarte à la Raisinée

Raisinée is a thick syrup made from boiling down unfiltered apple and pear juice. It has a deep brown color and a ultra-sweet caramelized flavor. The canton of Fribourg refers to their version of this syrup as vin cuit (cooked wine), versions of which often have a higher concentration of pear juice. The Tarte à la Raisinée involves a short crust pastry filled with a mixture of raisinée and cream for a super rich and delicious dessert.

6. Salée au Sucre

French-speaking Switzerland has a number of cream tarts with a yeasted dough base. In Vaud, one of these tarts, the Salée au Sucre, is a misnomer. Its name in French means something like, “salted with sugar,” but this tart is definitely sweet! In fact, the centuries-old term salée in Vaud actually refers to a type of tart, which can either be salty or sweet.

7. Boutefas

A large smoked pork sausage called Boutefas has an unique shape because its natural casing comes from a pouch known as the cecum. Part of a pig’s digestive system, undigested food arrives in the cecum from the small intestine before entering the large intestine. Boutefas contains raw pork meat, bacon, salt and spices. This sausage closely resembles the Saucisson Vaudois, except for its size and shape. It also reminds me of a Saucisson Neuchâtelois from the neighboring canton of Neuchâtel. Unlike these other sausages, however, Boutefas only has one opening tied up with string.

8. Pain Vaudois à la Croix

All 26 Swiss cantons have a cantonal bread, although some share one. Traditionally made with half-white flour (farine mi-blanche), Vaud’s cantonal bread has a cross shape pressed into its surface before baking. You will find a recipe for it in my Swiss Bread cookbook.

9. Tomme Vaudoise

In French-speaking Switzerland, you will find soft, little wheels of cheese with a rind known as Tomme. Of all the cantons in Suisse Romande, Tomme cheeses made in the Swiss canton of Vaud are probably the most well recognized. However, versions also exist in Neuchâtel, Fribourg and Geneva. Cheesemakers will sometimes add ingredients to their tommes, such as cumin seeds, truffles or ail des ours (bear’s garlic).

10. Vacherin Mont d’Or

For a mini-fondue, you can use a wheel of Vacherin Mont-d’Or AOP. This soft cheese with a rind is wrapped in thin strips of spruce, creating a round box. To serve a melted version of this cheese, you first you cover the bottom and sides with foil, add garlic and wine to the cheese and bake it. You can then dip potatoes directly into the cheese (Recipe: Whole Oven-Baked Vacherin). Given its storage in a wooden container, the nickname of this dish is boîte chaude (hot box).

11. Taillé de Goumoëns

Similar to the Salée au Sucre, this yeasted cake comes from the village of Goumoëns in the canton of Vaud. A cousin of the Gâteau du Vully, the Taillé de Goumoëns also has little indentations pressed into the dough that trap a sweet cream topping. In October, the village celebrates the Fête du Taillé, where you can sample its namesake cake.

What are some of your other favorite culinary specialties from Vaud?

If you have other ideas or recipes to share from this Swiss canton, please leave a comment below or send me an email. Thanks for your help!