One of the best and underrated parts of studying abroad is tasting new foods and seeing how important food is to the local culture. Over the past month and a half, I’ve been lucky enough to experience the incredible flavors of Switzerland and Morocco. Each meal has taught me more about the traditions, values and communities in these places.
Swiss Delights: Bread, Cheese and Chocolate
From fresh bread and creamy cheeses to mouth-watering chocolate, each food I have experienced represents a little piece of Swiss culture. One popular dish here is fondue, a Swiss tradition where you dip bread into a pot of hot, melted cheese. It’s surprisingly tasty! There’s even a rule that if you accidentally drop your bread into the cheese, you have to buy wine for the table, or sing a song, in our case! Due to the diverse French, German and Italian cultural backgorunds of Switzerland, there are a wide variety of foods, from pastries such as croissants, to different Italian dishes.
Additionally, due to strict food regulations in Switzerland, most foods are composed of natural ingredients and are less processed. My host mom, who’s half Italian and half French, makes amazing dinners.