Part one:
We start our journey, but where else, the grocery store. Some common grocery stores in Switzerland are Coop, Migros, Volg and Denner. Food prices in Switzerland are among the highest in all of Europe, much higher than in neighboring countries like Germany or France. Swiss grocers average 33 percent higher prices than German stores. However, the quality of the food is better. Much of the meat comes from Swiss farms, and although the cost of having livestock in an expensive country like Switzerland is exorbitant, the quality of the meat is also really amazing. The texture and taste of the chicken was exceptional! Also since Migros and Coop make up about 80% of the market, they have control of the prices, which are kept higher. Supply and Demand
Organic food is very popular in Switzerland with usually a very large assortment available at all the big chain grocers. All organic food must be officially certified by an independent commission, and the criteria for becoming an organic farmer are very stringent. Swiss people in general care a lot about their food, where it comes from, the quality of the meat and produce, and the conditions the animals live in. (Something that cannot be said about most Americans). However, all this comes at a pretty hefty price. Swiss farmers keep a high standard of food grade, versus cheap mass imports that are of inferior quality.
The large chain grocery stores are closed on Sunday’s due to the Swiss employment laws. Sometimes the grocery stores are a part of a large shopping area like a mall or shopping center area, and most of the time are located in the basement.
Below are a couple pictures to give you a little idea of what the Coop grocery store looks like inside and the products they sell. I was in heaven going grocery shopping in Switzerland. It was like an fun park for me! 🙂
Here is the entrance to a Coop grocery store. This shopping center was a part to a large shopping mall.
Again the entrance to the Coop grocery store
The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Frank
Knöpfli is a traditional Swiss dish. It translated to “little buttons.” It is basically little dough pieces, like little dumplings. They are boiled and to make it more authentic it is topped with a Swiss cheese. They are really easy to make by scratch.
My Favorite aisle, the CHOCOLATE section. A HUGE section of just Swiss chocolate. I call it Heaven! Some of my favorites are Cailler and Torino brands.
A great selection of yogurt.
A huge selection of prepackaged meat. Like I was saying before, the taste and the texture of the meat here is outstanding. It is quite common to have meat slices for breakfast along with yogurt, fresh bread and assortments of jellies, honey and swiss cheese.
Bagged apples and other tasty fruit.
Just a small glimpse of the beer aisle.
Beverages. My favorite is Fanta.
I was fasinated by this. can you guess what these are? No not toothpaste! It is a great selection of mustards, ketchup and mayo. I love these tubes! The dijon mustard is fantastic. I can’t wait to go back to stock up on more mustard!!!
In my next blog I will talk about Swiss Bakeries!!!!!!
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