Myriam Zumbühl is a Swiss food writer and TV host based in Zurich. Her work takes her all over Europe – to Sweden, Denmark and Germany, Paris, Milan, Vienna and London in the last year alone – and she spends a lot of time in New York. At the moment Myriam is working on a film about the Swiss cheese-maker Willi Schmid (trailer here, more on him below) and collaborating with the University of Zurich on an urban reflection centre to promote a more mindful way of producing and consuming food.
To kickstart our new 6×6 series exploring what people are eating in different parts of the world, we asked Myriam to recall her six most memorable food experiences of the past six months. Here’s her selection.
Yeast doughnut with rose petals
Doughnut Plant, New York City
“I am and always will be a fan of sugar. I don’t want it every day, but when I buy something sweet that’s good-quality, it can’t be sugary enough. A doughnut from Doughnut Plant for example. I’ve been searching New York for years for its best doughnut but keep returning to Doughnut Plant (various locations across town; mine is in the Chelsea Hotel on 23rd Street) to buy one of their yeast doughnuts. Freshly baked, soft as air, sweet as love – especially when glazed with rose petals, as I discovered this summer.”
220 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011, United States; +1 212-505-3700, www.doughnutplant.com
Bergfichte cheese
Willi Schmid Dairy, Lichtensteig, Switzerland
“Willi Schmid is, for me, the best cheese-maker in the world. He has the heart of a farmer: he knows every plant in his valley and every cow by name, and by the taste of raw milk he can tell which cow it came from. His cheese will make you rethink everything you know about cheese. As well as notes of vanilla and caramel, you can taste the herbs and flowers the cow ate. His Bergfichte wrapped in spruce bark made me realise what a cheese really is. It is sweet like a caramel yet still has a touch of acidity. It’s beautifully balanced. It changed forever the way I buy and eat cheese.” (buy)
Zürcher Geschnetzeltes
Kronenhalle, Zürich
“I always say that if you haven’t been to the Kronenhalle you haven’t been to Zürich. This old-school glamour restaurant is one of the few places I eat out in the city and it’s always a celebration. The white-gloved waiters are charming. Tina Turner might sit next to you and there are Picassos and Miros on the walls. They are the absolute masters of the Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, a veal dish with a creamy and white wine sauce usually served with potato rösti (though I always order it with mashed potato). It’s my favourite soul-food on the planet. The best thing about it? The waiters automatically serve you seconds.”
Rämistrasse 4, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland; +41 44 262 99 00, www.kronenhalle.ch
Hot Dog
Torvehallerne, Copenhagen
“I am a sucker for good fast food. It’s such a great way to get to know a country and its cuisine. The Danish are the masters of the hot dog, and they take pride in perfecting the recipe. On my last visit I tried the organic hot dog at Torvehallerne (a big foodhall in the heart of the city) and I wasn’t disappointed: the bun was crusty, the sausage wonderfully meaty and aromatic, the remoulade was creamy with just the right touch of mayonnaise, and the fried pieces of bacon and onion a grand culinary finale. I ate two.”
Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 København K, Denmark; +45 70 10 60 70, www.torvehallernekbh.dk
Dampfnudeln cooked over a fire pit
St.Moritz, Switzerland
“When chef Martin Dalsass from Restaurant Talvo in St. Moritz cooked some ‘Dampfnudeln’ (a yeasted, sweet bun) over an open fire in the middle of an enchanting forest in the Engadine valley, I had to pinch myself. He served them with homemade jam and warm vanilla sauce. Squirrels were jumping through the trees above our heads. The smoky flavour from the fire made this a meal I’ll never forget.”
Swiss mac & cheese
Bernese Alps, Switzerland
“I dare say we Swiss know a thing or two about mac & cheese. We have a small claim on the pasta element through the Italian part of our country, but the cheese: it’s ours. A Swiss mac & cheese is the ultimate comfort meal: soft macaroni pasta mixed with cubes of cooked potato, a generous amount of melted cheese and a creamy sauce to bring it all together. A side of apple sauce only enhances the whole experience. Last summer I did a hike up Niesen, which took me 2400 metres above sea level in the Bernese alps. From there it feels as if you can see all the way to the end of the world. I honoured that moment with the best mac & cheese I’ve had in years.”
(Myriam recommends this recipe for Swiss-style mac & cheese.)
For more on Myriam, visit www.myriamzumbuehl.com or follow her on Instagram