During this day, it is customary to eat Tarte aux Pruneaux, or a prune tarte. My program director bought one of these tarts for me and the people in my apartment building to share. The crust was much lighter than a traditional american pie crust and slightly softer. The filling was sweet, almost custard-like and complemented the prunes that were baked into the tart nicely. It was sweet enough that the prune flavour wasn’t overwhelming.
As much as I want to talk about dessert forever, I must also talk about Switzerland’s other defining culinary trait -- cheese. Particularly popular is fondue. Fondue is a traditional Swiss dish of melted cheese and white wine. I went to Lausanne for fondue and ordered the traditional version, as well as a tomato-infused fondue, and ate mine with boiled potatoes. The tomato version tasted very similarly to a tomato soup, but of course, much cheesier. This was especially good with the thick cuts of crusty bread that come with the meal. However, the traditional fondue was much preferred by the table. As you can tell from the pictures, the pot was nearly finished before I could take my photo! Along with the fondue, I also ordered malakoff, which has been one of my personal favorite dishes here. Malakoff is a fried ball of cheese and particularly common in the Western, or French side, of Switzerland. This platter is quite expensive, so I try not to buy it too often. But it is so good that, sometimes, I can’t help myself!
