However, the chocolate here is very rich and not as sweet as it is in the United States, so I’ve found myself eating more chocolate than usual these days. Outside of the classic flavours in the fountains, I also tried stracciatella white chocolate, caramel filled chocolate and kirsch chocolate. The Bâtons Kirsch in particular is a delicacy that Lindt does not export outside of Switzerland. I obviously had to buy a bar (or three) to take home!
While the chocolate here is divine, it is not the only sweet treat that is popular. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. So, for people on a budget who still want delicious desserts, mastering budget dining is a must. One of the best budget bakeries here is called Äss-Bar (I know). Pronounced ESS-bar, meaning edible in Swiss German, this chain takes food and pastries that are close to expiration and sells them at a heavily reduced price to combat food waste. For only one swiss franc ($1.21 USD), I tried hefe-nussgipfel [HAY-fuh NOOSS-gip-fuhl], which is a delightful flour pastry filled with chopped hazelnut and cinnamon. At full price, something like this in Switzerland could easily be five francs ($6.04 USD) or more. The outer layer of dough was still warm and the hazelnut filling was purely ground hazelnut. The hazelnut made it coarse and crunchy, which I really enjoyed. I ate the hefe-nussgipfel at an Äss-Bar in Bern, the administrative capital of Switzerland and one of the major cities in the German part of the country.
Returning to the French side of the country, I was lucky enough to be in Geneva during Jeûne Genevois (Geneva fast), a holiday celebrated only in Geneva.
