For example, when I bit into the malakoff, I expected a cheese pull as you would get with a mozzarella stick or something similar. However, this was not the case. When I bit into the fried outer layer, a fountain of cheese immediately melted into my mouth instead of stretching apart. Additionally, when I bought the kirsch chocolate, I was expecting it to be a regular chocolate bar that was infused with kirsch that had been cooked down. But, the entire interior of the chocolate bar was filled with liquid kirsch, so each bite was a shot!
The new and unexpected flavours from the food here are all very exciting. Unfortunately, they do also cause a few mishaps. The flavours of individual ingredients in Switzerland tend to be sharper and more concentrated than they are in the US. One of the ingredients that has a significantly stronger flavour profile is tomato paste, which I cook with quite regularly. One morning, I was attempting to make shakshuka, as it’s one of my go-to breakfast foods, and added in about a teaspoon of tomato paste. The dish tasted so overwhelmingly of concentrated tomato paste that it drowned out everything else -- it was as if I was eating spoonfuls of the paste straight from the jar. I’ve since learned that barely a touch of it goes a long way here! The experience of trying new foods and experimenting with cooking them has been fun!
Fondue is traditionally served as a dish to share at the table, brought out and eaten in its pot over a stove in the center of the table. One would receive long forks and bread or potatoes to dip into the cheese. My roommate and I attempted to recreate our experience in Lausanne and made fondue in our apartment kitchen from a box mix.
