Älplermagronen (also spelled Älplermakkaronen, lit. "Alpine herdsman’s macaroni" in German) is a dish from the Alpine regions of Switzerland, consisting of pasta, potatoes, cream, cheese, and onions. The name is made up of "Älpler" as a designation for the Alpine herder and "Magronen", which was taken as a loan word from the Italian word maccheroni.
Älplermagronen are now regarded as a traditional dish of the Swiss Alps and a classic of Swiss comfort foods. According to a popular theory, pasta became widespread in northern Switzerland in the late 19th century, when the Gotthard Tunnel was built, partly by Italian workers who brought dry pasta with them. [1] [2] In any case, dry pasta eventually became very popular in Switzerland, especially among the herdsmen, because it could be conserved easily and was very light given its nutritional value – both invaluable advantages at a time when all foods except milk and cheese had to be transported up to the alp. The "Magronen" were stretched with local potatoes, enriched with cream and cheese, and seasoned with onions. This hearty dish was easy to prepare in a cauldron over an open fire and was particularly filling after a hard working day on the alp.
Macaroni dishes might have been popular in Switzerland already well before the immigration of Italian workers. The 15th century cook from Ticino, Maestro Martino, describe macaroni recipes in his book: Libro de arte coquinaria. [3] His macaronis are seasoned with butter and cheese, and sweet spices; he recommends among other things that the pasta must be well cooked. [4] Shortly after, in the early 16th century, Ticino was annexed by the Old Swiss Confederacy. This favoured trade across the Alps, notably between Switzerland and Italy. [5] By 1731, Disentis Abbey mentions in its archives a thread press machine to make hollow macaroni noodles. In 1836, A Bernese cookbook includes a "maccaroni" and cheese recipe. Switzerland’s first pasta factory opened in 1838 in Lucerne and, in 1872, commercial production of macaroni as we know it today is attested. [5]
Älplermagronen are typically made from Swiss pasta, which contains eggs, preferably in thick shapes such as penne, ziti or macaroni. The smaller Hörnli (in French : cornettes) can also be used. [3] The pasta is boiled together with diced potatoes, adding both ingredients in order, considering the difference in cooking time. The amount of liquid is measured so that it is absorbed in its entirety when the potatoes and pasta are soft. Cream and coarsely grated cheese are then added and the mixture is left to stand for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. The dish is then sprinkled with fried onions, and traditionally served with the accompaniment of apple compote.
The dish has regional variations: In some areas, strips of ham, roasted bacon or cervelat are added. [6] In the canton of Uri, the potatoes are omitted. In the canton of Obwalden, Älplermagronen are also called Hindersi-Magronen [7] (due to the order of preparation in the Obwalden recipe, "Hindersi" meaning "backwards" in Swiss German) In French-speaking Switzerland, the Macaronis du chalet are a very similar dish but sometimes without the potatoes. [8] [9]
As an easy-to-cook and filling dish, Älplermagronen are a popular choice in Scout circles and in the Swiss Military menu.
Älplermagronen are often cooked and served in mountain huts or mountain restaurants. Älplermagronen are also sold as ready meal in supermarkets.
A similar dish, macaroni and cheese, popular in North America and the United Kingdom, might have been derived from Älplermagronen. [5]
Macaroni is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes. Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines can make macaroni shapes but, like most pasta, macaroni is usually made commercially by large-scale extrusion. The curved shape is created by different speeds of extrusion on opposite sides of the pasta tube as it comes out of the machine.
Pasta is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Unlike noodles, pasta was traditionally only made with durum, although the definition has been expanded to include alternatives for a gluten-free diet such as rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils. While noodles are believed to have originated in Asia, pasta is believed to have originated in Italy and is a staple food of Italian cuisine.
Spaghetti is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta. It is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine. Like other pasta, spaghetti is made of milled wheat, water, and sometimes enriched with vitamins and minerals. Italian spaghetti is typically made from durum-wheat semolina. Usually the pasta is white because refined flour is used, but whole wheat flour may be added. Spaghettoni is a thicker form of spaghetti, while spaghettini is a thinner form. Capellini is a very thin spaghetti, sometimes known colloquially as "angel hair pasta", while Vermicelli refers to intermediate widths, varying between the United States and Italy.
Lasagna is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made of very wide, flat sheets. Either term can also refer to an Italian dish made of stacked layers of lasagna alternating with fillings such as ragù, béchamel sauce, vegetables, cheeses, and seasonings and spices. The dish may be topped with grated cheese, which becomes melted during baking. Typically cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven. The resulting baked pasta is cut into single-serving square or rectangular portions.
Vermicelli is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions, it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy, it is thicker.
Macaroni and cheese is a dish of macaroni and a cheese sauce, most commonly cheddar sauce.
Fettuccine Alfredo or fettuccine al burro is an Italian pasta dish of fresh fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan. As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a smooth and rich cheese sauce coating the pasta. The dish is named after Alfredo Di Lelio, who featured the dish at his restaurant in Rome in the early to mid-20th century; the "ceremony" of preparing it tableside was an integral part of the dish.
Swiss cuisine is an ensemble of national, regional and local dishes, consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed in Switzerland or assimilated from other cultures, particularly neighboring countries. The diversity and comprehensiveness of Swiss gastronomy reflects the linguistic, cultural and geographical diversity. The climate of Switzerland allows for a large variety of terroirs, and therefore a wide range of indigenous food, from simple cereals to refined products like cheese and wine.
Pizzoccheri is a type of short tagliatelle, a flat ribbon pasta, made with a blend of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. It is believed to have originated in Valtellina, a valley in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. They are also popular in Val Poschiavo, a side valley of Valtellina which belongs to the Swiss canton of Grisons.
Macaroni salad is a type of pasta salad, served cold, made with cooked elbow macaroni and usually prepared with mayonnaise. Much like potato salad or coleslaw in its use, it is often served as a side dish to barbecue, fried chicken, or other picnic style dishes. Like any dish, national and regional variations abound but generally it is prepared with raw diced onions, dill or sweet pickles and celery and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Gratin is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter. The term may be applied to any dish made using this method. Gratin is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is often served in its baking dish.
Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American dish consisting of spaghetti, tomato sauce and meatballs.
Martino de Rossi, was an Italian 15th-century culinary expert who was unequalled in his field at the time and could be considered the Western world's first celebrity chef. He made his career in Italy and was the chef at the Roman palazzo of the papal chamberlain ("camerlengo"), the Patriarch of Aquileia. Martino was applauded by his peers, earning him the epitaph of the prince of cooks. His book Libro de Arte Coquinaria is considered a landmark in Italian gastronomic literature and a historical record of the transition from medieval to Renaissance cuisine.
Frico is a traditional dish of Friuli, a region in northeast Italy, consisting mainly of heated cheese and, optionally, other ingredients, such as potatoes. Originally frico was prepared in the impoverished region as a way of recycling cheese rinds. There are two popular versions of the dish: one soft and thick, which is usually served in slices, and the other thin and crunchy, which can be used either as a garnish or as an appetizer. While the soft version has a long tradition, the history of the thin version is disputed.
Spaghetti alle vongole is a dish that is very popular throughout Italy, especially in Campania.
Stracciatella (Italian:[strattʃaˈtɛlla]; in Italian, a diminutive derived from the verb stracciare, also known as stracciatella alla romana, is an Italian soup consisting of meat broth and small shreds of an egg-based mixture, prepared by drizzling the mixture into boiling broth and stirring. It is popular around Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy. A similar soup, called zanzarelli, was described by Martino da Como in his 15th century manual The Art of Cooking. Other variants exist.
Hirtenmakkaroni, also known as Hirtnnudl in German and maccheroni alla pastora in Italian, is a pasta dish originating from South Tyrol, consisting of penne rigate, cream, peas, champignon mushrooms and cooked ham, topped with grated Parmesan cheese, typically served in mountain huts. There are several ways of preparing Hirtenmakkaroni, for example the ragù can be replaced with sausages.
Lokshen mit kaese, (Yiddish: לאָקשן מיט קעז lokshn mit kez), also known as (Hebrew: איטריות וגבינה itriyot v’gvina), Jewish mac and cheese, lokshen with cheese, or Jewish egg noodles with cottage cheese, is an Ashkenazi Jewish dish popular in the Jewish diaspora particularly in the United States, consisting of lokshen, or Jewish egg noodles that are served with a cheese sauce typically made with cottage cheese and black pepper, and sometimes farmers cheese may be used in place of the cottage cheese, and sour cream, butter, caramelized onions, garlic, tomatoes, mint, currants, parmesan, and other ingredients may be added. Sometimes a sweet variety is made with cinnamon sugar. It has been compared to a deconstructed noodle kugel and is considered by many to be a Jewish comfort food.
Wie gut, dass italienische Arbeiter ihre gewohnte Pasta ins schweizerische Alpenland mitgebracht haben. Zusammen mit einheimischen Kartoffeln gekocht, verfeinert mit Rahm und Käse ergab sie das beliebte Schweizer Sennengericht, das fix zubereitet ist und speziell bei schwerer Arbeit gut sättigt. Und da man in der Schweiz alles ein bisschen anders ausspricht, wurden die Maccheroni zu Magronen.[It is a good thing that Italian workers brought their usual pasta to the Swiss Alps. Cooked together with local potatoes, refined with cream and cheese, it resulted in the popular Swiss alpine dish, which is quickly prepared and is particularly filling when working hard. And since everything is pronounced a little differently in Switzerland, the maccheroni became magronen.]
Den Durchbruch der berühmten Teig-Röhren in der Schweiz vermochte damals allerdings weder das eine noch das andere herbeizuführen. Schafften dies die italienischen Gastarbeiter, die beim Bau des ersten Gotthardtunnels in den 1870er-Jahren involviert waren, wie es eine landläufige Meinung besagt? Es ist eine populäre These, doch Experten sind skeptisch.[At that time, however, neither one nor the other was able to bring about the breakthrough of the famous dough tubes in Switzerland. Did the Italian guest workers involved in the construction of the first Gotthard tunnel in the 1870s manage this, as popular belief has it? It's a popular theory, but experts are skeptical.]
Le célèbre Maestro Martino, cuisinier du 15ème siècle dans les cours des puissants de l'époque, en Italie, propose des recettes à base de pâtes dans son ouvrage intitulé Libro de arte coquinaria: on y trouve des " maccaroni romaneschi, maccaroni in altro modo, maccaroni siciliani e vermicelli " (macaronis à la romaine, macaronis d'une autre manière, macaronis siciliens et vermicelles). Maestro Martino était d'origine tessinoise (Val di Blenio) mais il avait exercé sa profession en Italie.[The famous Maestro Martino, cook of the 15th century in the courts of the powerful of the time, in Italy, proposes recipes based on pasta in his book entitled Libro de arte coquinaria: there are " maccaroni romaneschi, maccaroni in altro modo , maccaroni siciliani e vermicelli " (Roman-style macaroni, macaroni in another way, Sicilian macaroni and vermicelli). Maestro Martino was originally from Ticino (Val di Blenio) but he had practiced his profession in Italy.]
Martino è innovatore anche con la pasta, ma i suoi maccheroni sono conditi con burro, parmigiano, spezie dolci, raccomandando tra l'altro che la pasta sia "ben cotta"![Martino is also an innovator with pasta, but his macaronis are seasoned with butter, parmesan, sweet spices, recommending, among other things, that the pasta should be "well cooked"!]
Two years after that, according to Imhof's book, Switzerland's first pasta factory opened in 1838 in Lucerne. And finally, according to Imhof, the world's first commercial production of macaroni as we know it today – the short, hollow, hörni-shaped elbow – was not in Italy, but in Switzerland in 1872. Add to this a Swiss cheese production and export culture that dates back millennia, and it's certainly possible that the first real macaroni cheese with hollow elbow noodles was served in Switzerland.
