Located in northeastern Switzerland, St. Gallen is known internationally for its abbey, named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In terms of its culinary offerings, people describe this Swiss city as having four B’s: beer, biber, bratwurst and bürli. Discover them below in my list of 11 favorite foods, in no particular order, from the city of St. Gallen and its eponymous canton. While certainly not an exhaustive portrayal of this region’s specialties, it gives you some suggestions for what to try first.

1. St. Galler Biber

You may already be familiar with biber from Appenzell, but St. Gallen has its own version! St. Galler Biber involves a rich layer of almond paste, sandwiched between two fragrant slabs of gingerbread. Unlike the biber from Appenzell, the St. Galler Biber’s almond paste is exposed and not completely surrounded by the gingerbread.

2. Mandelfisch

A Mandelfisch (almond fish) is a sweet cake found in St. Gallen. The short crust pastry shell has a soft, spiced ground almond or hazelnut filling. A slice of this cake goes well with tea or coffee. You’ll see them primarily in bakeries, and less commonly from home bakers.

3. St. Galler Bratwurst

A beloved Swiss sausage, the St. Galler Bratwurst can be found throughout Switzerland, but especially in the city of St. Gallen. Butchers make this bratwurst with veal and pork. It’s whitish color is due, in part, to the milk they add to the sausage.

4. St. Galler Bürli

The St. Galler Bürli is a traditional accompaniment for a St. Galler Bratwurst. These crusty rolls bake in pairs, which people pull apart when serving. They have a slightly irregular round shape, and inside, a rather open texture.

5. St. Galler Klostertorte

The St. Galler Klostertorte features a pastry dough made with ground almonds and cinnamon. The lid has a lattice design, with lozenge-shaped openings that showcase the jammy filling. Traditionally, the jam is either raspberry, plum or currant, but apricot is also used.

6. Türggenbrot

The name of this corn bread, Türggenbrot, literally translated means something like “Turkish bread.” It comes from the nickname used for corn in Eastern Switzerland. Bakers sometimes make this bread with raisins or dried pears.

7. St. Galler Sammetsuppe

Made with few ingredients, such as eggs, cream and bouillon, the St. Galler Sammetsuppe has a velvety consistency. One restaurant in the city of St. Gallen that still makes this dish is Zum Bäumli. I recommend contacting the restaurant ahead of time to see if they have it on the menu.

8. Schützengarten Beer

Established in 1779, Brauerei Schützengarten is the oldest brewery in Switzerland. It’s also the only one to earn the “Slow Brewing” seal of approval. This means that this brewery gives its beer a significant amount of time to mature. Also, they only use natural ingredients and operate “fairly and responsibly in all areas of their value chain.”

9. Zimtfladen

The Zimtfladen is a cinnamon cake baked in a pastry crust that has a thin layer of jam. You’ll find it in the cantons of Appenzell (Ausserrhoden and Innerrhoden), as well as the Toggenburg region of St. Gallen.

10. Schlorzifladen

One of my favorite Swiss desserts! This tart with a short crust pastry base, has a layer of pureed dried pears. On top of that is a creamy custard layer. I like it served with a generous portion of whipped cream and some toasted sliced almonds.

11. St. Galler Brot

Like several other cantonal breads, the St.-Galler-Brot features two loaves baked together as one and sold separately. When you make this bread, you fold and wrap the dough, which increases its height. The goal of this technique is to try and keep the soft interior from drying out too fast. You can make this bread with either half-white (halbweissmehl) or dark flour (ruchmehl).

Which culinary specialties from the Swiss canton of St. Gallen do you like the best? What would you add to my list? Please leave a comment below!

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