SWISS MEALS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 261, 3 November 1928, Page 17

SWISS MEALS.

The average middle-class family in Switzerland, townsfolk and farmers alike, begin the day with what we would consider a poor and inadequate break fast. A cup of coffee, often without milk, a thick piece of dry black or halfblack bread, and some cheese usually make up this meal. The cheese is very often the kind they call "magerkaese" or "lean cheese," which is made from skimmed milk and has no fat in it, says an exchange. The mid-day meal always begins with soup, and very excellent soup, too. A Swiss family would never dream of leaving out this essential part of the meal, and partly for this reason, the favourite meat is boiled beef, so that they may have some stock for the soup. Boiled mutton they never eat, neither do they care as much as we do far roast beef; they find it too greasy, and it is no good for soup. Their other favourite meats are pork and veal. Their vegetables are about the same as ours, except that they are fond of the German sauerkraut and also have a speciality of their own, the red cabbage, which is cooked with onions, red wine, and a little bacon, and then chopped up fine. Salads they like, too, and they know how to make excellent dressings for them. White cabbage salad and potato salad are prime favourites. The mid-day meal closes with fruit, stewed or raw, and eoffee. Our puddings are practically unknown to them, and they have not even a name for this form of dessert!. At four in the afternoon they drink coffee (seldom tea), with bread and cheese or jam. Suppers vary considerably, but tea and sausages make a favourite menu for this meal.