Eating at Altitude: What to Expect

Alpine village cooking grew out of necessity. For centuries, communities high in the mountains had no fresh produce for five or six months of the year, so their kitchens revolved around what would keep: cured pork, hard cheese, potatoes, dried beans, root vegetables and preserved fruit. The result is some of the most satisfying cold-weather food in Europe, and it is exactly what you want after a day on the slopes.

Two things surprise first-time visitors. First, portions are enormous — a single tartiflette in a village restaurant will comfortably feed two moderate appetites. Second, lunch is often the main meal of the day, particularly in mountain huts and village cafés, where the plat du jour or Tagesmenü is better value and better cooked than anything on the à la carte list. Eat your big meal at midday and keep supper light unless you fancy a long, slow evening.

Tartiflette, Fondue and Raclette: The Holy Trinity

These three dishes define winter eating across the French and Swiss Alps, and every village has its own version. Order at least one of them properly, in a place with a wood-panelled dining room and a menu that has not changed in twenty years.

• Tartiflette — sliced potatoes baked with lardons, onions and a whole Reblochon cheese melted on top until the crust blisters. Made with cream in some kitchens, without in others; both are correct, and both are heavy. Best shared as a starter or eaten as a main after a hard day.
• Fondue savoyarde — Beaufort, Comté and Emmental melted with white wine and a little garlic, eaten with cubes of stale bread. The crust at the bottom of the pot, the croûte, is the prize; if you lose your bread in the cheese, tradition says you buy the next round.
• Raclette — a half-wheel of cheese grilled and scraped over potatoes, pickles and cured meats. In Switzerland it is a social meal that can run for two hours; pace yourself, and ask for plain boiled potatoes rather than the fried version.

Soups, Stews and Other Mountain Warmers

If you want to eat like a local rather than a visitor, look to the soup pot. Alpine soups are meals in themselves, often served with bread and a slab of cheese, and they cost a fraction of the cheese dishes.

In the French Alps, look for garbure — a cabbage and bean soup with confit duck or ham — and soupe à l'oignon topped with a cap of melted Gruyère. In Italy's Aosta Valley, order zuppa valpellinentze, made with bread, fontina and cabbage, or polenta concia, polenta enriched with butter and cheese. Austria and Bavaria bring gulaschsuppe, a paprika-heavy beef soup that is far better than it sounds, and käsespätzle, soft egg noodles baked with mountain cheese and fried onions.

Also worth seeking out are diots, Savoyard pork sausages simmered in white wine, served with crozets — small buckwheat pasta squares baked with cheese. In Switzerland, rösti with a fried egg on top is a whole meal for around the price of a round of drinks.

Village Markets and Mountain Cheese

Most alpine villages hold a weekly market, usually on a single morning, often Tuesday or Friday. These are not tourist markets: you will find a cheese stall, a charcuterie van, a honey producer, a baker and a couple of vegetable growers, plus a queue of locals who know exactly what they want. Arrive before nine for the best choice and take cash — many stalls still do not accept cards.

Mountain cheeses to buy, taste and take home include Beaufort and Abondance from the Savoy, nutty and firm; Tomme de Savoie, milder and often made with skimmed milk; Comté aged for eighteen months or more; Gruyère and Vacherin from Switzerland; and Fontina from the Aosta Valley. Ask the stallholder to vacuum-pack anything you plan to carry home by train — it travels perfectly in a rucksack for a day or two, and the flavour will be far better than anything you find at a supermarket deli counter.

Pastries, Puddings and Sweet Things

Alpine baking leans on orchard fruit, nuts and cream, and the standard is generally high because every village has at least one bakery supplying it daily.

• Tarte aux myrtilles — bilberry tart, made in late summer but often found frozen or preserved year-round.
• Apfelstrudel — thin pastry, spiced apple, raisins, served warm with cream or vanilla sauce. In Austria, ask for it with Schlagobers.
• Kaiserschmarrn — shredded pancake with raisins and icing sugar, usually served with apple compote. Order one between two; it is a full meal.
• Gâteau de Savoie — a light sponge made with cornflour, the traditional village celebration cake.
• Bugnes or merveilles — small fried dough twists dusted with sugar, sold from stands during carnival season.

Practical Tips for Eating Well in an Alpine Village

Book dinner in high season. A village with five restaurants and three hundred beds fills up fast during February half-term, and turning up at seven o'clock hoping for a table rarely works. Half-board at your hotel is usually good value if you are staying a week, but leave at least two evenings free to eat out.

Drink more water than you think you need — altitude dehydrates, and the dry air in a heated chalet makes it worse. Alcohol hits harder above 1,500 metres, so go easy on the génépi and the schnapps. If you are travelling home by rail, buy your cheese, charcuterie and a decent loaf on the morning of departure and you will eat extremely well on the journey back.