Cuisines of the Alps
SynopsisPlot
A majestic mountain system in south-central Europe, the Alps form an arc spanning almost 750 miles from the Mediterranean Sea through northern Italy and southeast France, Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria and into the northwest part of the Balkan Peninsula. Cuisines of the Alps takes a culinary tour through the region, with stops in Northern Italy for risotto a la Milanese and osso buco; in Austrian for goulash and linzer torte; for dumplings in Bavaria; raclette in Switzerland; French trout au bleu, and in Slovenia for eggplant stew and walnut cake, among many other delights. Cuisines of the Alps will enhance your knowledge of the region's cookery, bringing the snow-capped peaks, with their robust, homey dishes into your kitchen.
Story
About this book
The Alps stretch nearly 750 miles across south-central Europe, curving from the Mediterranean coast through France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and into Slovenia. Seven countries share portions of this mountain range, and each has developed its own cooking traditions shaped by altitude, climate, and local ingredients. Kay Shaw Nelson's cookbook collects recipes, drinks, and food history from across these Alpine regions, organized by country.
The book covers well-known dishes alongside less familiar ones. Northern Italian contributions include risotto a la Milanese and osso buco. Austria is represented by goulash and linzer torte, Bavaria by dumplings, and Switzerland by raclette. French Alpine cooking appears through preparations like trout au bleu, while Slovenian entries feature eggplant stew and walnut cake. Nelson pairs the recipes with background on the food cultures that produced them, connecting each dish to its geographic and culinary context.
Mountain cooking across Europe often shares certain practical foundations: preserved meats, dairy from high-pasture herds, hearty grain-based dishes, and seasonal use of foraged ingredients. Nelson's collection highlights both these common threads and the distinct national and regional variations that separate, for example, a Swiss Alpine table from an Austrian or Slovenian one.
