Are you planning a trip to the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel? Or perhaps you live in Switzerland and are looking to discover some of its culinary specialties. Either way, this French-speaking canton has a number of unique foods and beverages you should try. Here’s are 12 ideas to get you started…

1. Absinthe

Nicknamed the Green Fairy, absinthe turns cloudy when you mix it with water. Switzerland’s Val-de-Travers is considered the birthplace of this highly alcoholic beverage. The percentage of alcohol can range from about 50-75 percent. To be considered a true absinthe, it must have four key ingredients: small wormwood, large wormwood, fennel and green anise. I like using absinthe to make cake.

2. Pain aux Noix

Pain aux noix (walnut bread) is a yeasted bread made with walnuts developed by a baker named Albert Knecht in the 1970s. A restaurant at the train station in Neuchâtel wanted a bread made with walnuts, and Mr. Knecht developed a recipe for them. This elongated oval loaf with chopped walnuts has a lattice design cut across its surface before baking. I think it tastes especially good with butter and honey.

3. Gâteau aux Noisettes

Gâteaux aux noisettes (hazelnut tart) is a tart made with ground hazelnuts and either with puff pastry or short crust pastry. It’s topped with a thin layer of icing. Today, you’ll find it at a number of bakeries in the canton, but it began in the village of Colombier. Confiserie Zurcher previously made this tart with almonds, but it switched to ground hazelnuts in 1914 around the start of World War I. Almonds were becoming more expensive, so the confiserie made the switch and never stopped. You can still find it there today in different sizes.

4. Jambon Cuit dans l’Asphalte

At the asphalt mines in Val-de-Travers, cooking ham in a bath of asphalt is a tradition. Natural asphalt deposits were discovered there back in 1711 by Eirini Eyrinys, a physician interested in using it for medicinal purposes. Jambon cuit dans l’asphalte (ham cooked in asphalt) was first served to miners to celebrate St. Barbara’s Day (the patron saint of miners) in the 1930s. To prepare the ham, it’s wrapped in newspaper or butcher’s paper and covered with a flour sack. Then the ham cooks for about four hours at 160-170°C (320-340°F) in molten asphalt. This cooking method, which may seem unconventional, helps to preserve moisture in the ham. The Mines d’asphalte (asphalt mines) today operate as a museum, which has a restaurant where you can try this local specialty.

5. Batz Neuchâtelois

Batz neuchâtelois are chocolate pralines created in 1948. They mark the centennial anniversary of the canton’s entry into the Swiss confederation. Chocolate-makers in Neuchâtel designed these commemorative chocolates after the Batz, a coin in circulation from the late 16th century until the mid-19th century. They make them with either milk or dark chocolate, with a couverture shell and a chocolate praline filling made with almonds and hazelnuts. 

6. Pain de Pâques

Pain de Pâques (Easter bread) is a brioche-style loaf. While it has ingredients similar to a braided loaf of Zopf (Tresse), this Easter bread has an oval shape with a slash down its middle. This loaf has a rich, buttery flavor and a slightly tighter crumb than a typical braided Zopf (Tresse). You can find it at local bakeries in the city of Neuchâtel around the Easter holidays.

7.  Tomme Neuchâteloise

In French-speaking Switzerland, there’s a soft, little wheel of cheese with a rind known as a Tomme. You’ll find them not only in Neuchâtel, but also in the canton of Vaud, Fribourg and Geneva. Cheesemakers will sometimes add ingredients to their Tomme, such as cumin seeds, truffles or ail des ours (bear’s garlic). A popular recipe for this cheese is called, Tomme Panée, in which the wheel of cheese is breaded and fried.

8. Pain Neuchâtelois

Traditionally made with mi-blanche (half-white) flour, Pain neuchâtelois is the cantonal bread for Neuchâtel. Bakers press two large balls of yeasted dough together before baking them. The individual halves of this bread are pulled apart and sold separately.

9. Steak Vigneron

Neuchâtel has a special seasoned ground meat patty known as Steak Vigneron (winegrower’s steak). Often made with a mix of beef and pork (and sometimes horsemeat), these hamburger steak sandwiches are served at the Fête des Vendanges (grape harvest festival), held the last weekend in September.

10. Taillaule Neuchâteloise

Arguably the most famous loaf of bread from Neuchâtel is the Taillaule neuchâteloise. This brioche-style, rectangular loaf has distinctive, diagonal pattern of slash marks on its surface. Its name likely comes from the verb tailler, which means “to cut” in French. This loaf is especially popular on Sunday mornings. Taillaule often has lemon zest or candied lemon peel added to the dough. Raisins are also very common in this bread, but some bakers make it without.

11. Neuchâtel Non-Filtré

Switzerland welcomes its first wine of the year, Neuchâtel Non Filtré, during the month of January. Special tasting events are held each year in Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds to celebrate its release. This unique wine, which has become a Swiss tradition, dates back to 1975. Before opening a bottle of Non Filtré, take a moment to turn it upside down and gently swirl it around a bit. This allows the lees to be more evenly dispersed. Winemakers have started putting labels on these bottles upside down, which serves as a helpful reminder! The wine will have a cloudy appearance when poured in a glass.

12. Saucisson Neuchâtelois

Saucisson Neuchâtelois, a smoked sausage, contains lean pork meat (two-thirds) and bacon (one-third). Cow intestines serve as its casing. During the fall, people like to cook these sausages outdoors in the embers of a fire. This practice is known as a Torrée neuchâteloise. Other popular ways to serve this sausage is baked within a brioche loaf or served with potatoes and leeks.

More dishes from Neuchatel to try: Gâteau au beurre, Sèche au beurre, Tripes à la neuchâteloise, Jacquerie neuchâteloise, Bleuchâtel cheese and more!

What else would you add to this list? Please send me a message or leave a comment below!