La Semaine du Goût Geneva – Sept. 12, 2013

Published by Wednesday, September 11, 2013 Permalink 0


La Semaine du Goût Genève – Geneva Tasting Week

Swiss tasting week, referred to as “La Semaine du Goût” in the French-speaking part of the country, starts on Thursday, September 12, and runs until the 22nd. Each producer, restaurant and farm participating offers events. I will list a program of events, by day, in the Geneva area.This event is sponsored in part by Slow Food Switzerland. Here is the schedule for Thursday, September 12.

Swiss Fondue, Salone del Gusto 2012 in Turin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Mindful Eating Series: Interview with Geneva Farmer David John Kong-Hug

Published by Friday, August 23, 2013 Permalink 0

The Mindful Eating Series: Interview with Geneva Farmer David John Kong-Hug

by Jonell Galloway

In the context of the concept of Mindful Eating, I plan on posting a series of articles that show people who are already practicing this in one way or another, without necessarily calling it by that name.

I’d like to start with an article about Geneva farmer, foodie and ecologist, David John Kong-Hug, whose family’s fruit and vegetables have given my family and me endless satisfaction and nourishment.

I see in the Hugs the same integrity and pride in what they do as I saw in the land of Wendell Berry. There is a mutual satisfaction when he puts an organic red pear into my hands and tells me exactly how to make my rissole. We form a mutual appreciation society; we have a mutual “affection” for the product and awareness of the hard work and care that went in to producing it.

David is a linguist and speaks so many languages I couldn’t possibly name them all. He has traveled extensively, and lived in South America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

He grew up on the family farm in Vandœuvres, right outside Geneva, and has never lost his love and respect for the land. He started working on the family farm from a young age, where he remained while studying agriculture and later doing a Ph.D. in environmental management.

Like the Swiss, like Wendell Berry, the love of land and soil is in his blood. With this personal history, need we ask what he thinks about Mindful Eating?

Interview with David John Kong-Hug

We are one of the last Genevan families who sell organic vegetables and fruits grown in our little one-hectare farm in Vandoeuvres (GE) along the Seymaz river. We have been working at the Rive and Carouge farmers market since 1946. For us, eating organic is a misnomer. Food is organic by its very nature! But since the green revolution in the seventies, food has become partly chemical. We have always refused to use chemicals on our land. How could we poison our land and water, add sulfites to the food we eat, feed our animals and serve to people?

Until the seventies, people took seasonal crops as a given. They knew that tomatoes with irregular shapes and apples with flaws were actually natural and tasty. They did not ask for strawberries in winter. Our tomatoes are not calibrated and cannot be kept for two months in the fridge. In winter, eating soups made of seasonal vegetables such as pumpkin, cabbage, leek, radish bring all the nutrients the body needs. Winter salads, such as bitter chicory or endive, are bitter in order to compensate for the extra fat people add by eating more meat when it’s cold.

Organic products are a bit more expensive than the industrial ones for two reasons. First of all, growing organic food is labor-intensive. Soils have to be weeded manually; manure spread evenly with the pitchfork; then fragile crops have to be covered with linen sheets to prevent birds from eating them. Greenhouses also protect from the cold and the predators, but field mice dig from underneath. As a result, a good deal of the production is lost, and only one third is actually brought to the market stall.

The second reason is that organic farming is not subsidized at all. Agro-industries that grow specific crops, sold to certain wholesalers, receive subsidies for mechanization, pesticides and fertilizers. The chemical and agro-industrial lobby in Switzerland is very strong. Pesticides and fertilizers are therefore indirectly sponsored by the government, that is to say the taxpayers.

These chemicals are necessary for intensive, calibrated and zero waste agriculture. Produce is harvested before it is ripe and sometimes kept a month in enormous refrigerators before being delivered to supermarkets. Local organic farmers still harvest at 4 A.M. the very day of the market. Their produce has to be sold within two or three days, or otherwise composted.

Unfortunately, selling bio or organic has become a business niche, not only for the large retail stores, but also for the government. Acquiring a green label is outrageously expensive for small independent farmers. Besides, their norms do not measure levels of pathogenic elements, but concern hedges and fallow, water conservation and soil erosion, which local farmers have been implementing for decades.

Therefore we created our own label “EKO”, for which we claim homegrown organic seasonal vegetables and fruits, aiming at eighty – ninety percent organic and chemical-free, which our customers recognize thanks to the taste and quality. Being an organic farmer is challenging. We just hope that our customers find their way to both the heart and stomach.

  • “Bringing It to the Table” by Wendell Berry
  • Wendell Berry: No technological fix to climate change
  • The Missouri Table: A Response to Ethical Foodies From a ‘Factory Farmer’
  • The Importance of Agriculture
  • Manifesto: The mad farmers liberation front
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MarketDay: Farmers Market, Geneva, Switzerland, August 3, 2013

Published by Saturday, August 3, 2013 Permalink 0


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Introducing our new “TRE Quality Label”

Published by Thursday, July 25, 2013 Permalink 0


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Introducing our new “TRE Quality Label”: Healthy, Homemade Meals Delivered to Your Door, Geneva

The TRE Quality Label

The TRE Quality Label

Introducing our new “TRE Quality Label”

In this complex world of industrial food, where even organic food is sold by agro food conglomerates, it is important to know the quality and origin of what we eat. Thus the importance of a quality label that has been tested by people like us who are experienced in the real-food business. When we give the TRE Quality Label, we know where the ingredients came from, we know how the food was processed and treated — and most of it is entirely local,  allowing you too to eat locally. We also know how it tastes, because we’ve tasted it all.

All the important criteria make up part of the TRE Quality Label: quality, origin, and taste. You can be sure of what you’re buying if it has a TRE Quality Label.

Today, we’d like to introduce the first product to which we’re giving our label: panbeh, a Geneva grassroots operation that makes every attempt to meet all these criteria, and to put something healthy, natural and tasty on your plate.

panbeh‘s meals are delivered straight to your door in Geneva. Most of the ingredients are from Geneva or nearby in the countryside.

It is the perfect solution for those who are home bound and for the elderly, as well as for those who simply don’t have the time to do the shopping required to cook a healthy, well-balanced meal. It’s great for those weeks when your work schedule is heavy, and ensures that you’ll get a home-cooked, healthy meal every day, delivered straight to your door.

Geneva: Healthy, Homemade Meals Delivered to Your Door by panbeh

panbeh describes itself:

panbeh means “pure cotton” in Farsi: the purity of a healthy, home-cooked meal

Panbeh's very own cotton plant in Geneva, Switzerland

Panbeh’s very own cotton plant in Geneva, Switzerland

As we all know, what we eat is important for our daily activity and well-being, so we are introducing our new concept: the pleasure of eating healthy, natural, homemade food while fully enjoying the taste of what you eat, delivered right to your door.

No additives and no pesticides, no hormones and no chemicals — only the real, natural flavor of top quality, artisanal ingredients, the origin of which we systematically list. And you benefit from the real taste of the whole, untreated, unprocessed food, prepared fresh every day in a high-fiber, low-fat manner.

Whenever possible, we use only organic ingredients.

We propose a daily lunch menu and will deliver it to you at your home or your office, free of charge. Please find below are our daily menus for the month of July.

Delivery to your home or office
Order the night before (before 6 pm) for next day’s lunch, or order for the whole week
Orders are delivered between 12 and 1 pm

Order by email:
panbeh@servge.ch
or by phone:
076 630 79 56

 
Free delivery for Petit-Saconnex, Grand-Saconnex, Grand-Pré and Nations.
 

It is our right to know where our food comes from:

Bread: Eric Emery bakery, Geneva.
Vegetables, fruits and mountain herbs (organic): Marché à la Ferme de Budé, Geneva.
Cheese (organic) : Casa Mozzarella, Geneva.
Salmon: Wild from Alaska or Scotland, sold by Francesco Drago, Halle de Rive covered market, Geneva.
Tomato sauce (organic): Marché a la Ferme de Budé, Geneva.
Spaghetti (organic): Marché à la Ferme de Budé, Geneva.
Rice & Quinoa (organic): Marché de Vie, Geneva
Olive oil: Greece, sold by Marché à la Ferme de Budé, Geneva
Eggs (organic): Marché à la Ferme de Budé, Geneva.
Chicken (organic) : Swiss origin
Wheat (organic) : Swiss origin

 

Bon appétit!

 

MENU for July 2013 (24.00 CHF)

Monday
Mixed salad
Quinoa balls, oven-baked Homemade
panbeh cake

Tuesday
Shirazi salad (tomato, cucumbers, onion, fresh mint)
Indian Tilda rice with safran, berberis (barberries) and chicken, or wild rice with chicken and vegetables
Fresh fruit salad

Wednesday
Potato salad, onion, eggs
Eggplant and tomato sandwich
panbeh homemade crème caramel

Thursday
Tomato & mozzarella & fresh basil
Spaghetti, tomato sauce & mushrooms
Watermelon or melon

Friday
Salad (ricotta & tomato covered with aromatic herbs)
Wild smoked salmon sandwich
Homemade panbeh cake

Large portion of mixed salad: 12.00 CHF

Drinks: kefir, mineral water, or fruit juice.

 

Order by email:
panbeh@servge.ch
or by phone:
076 630 79 56

 

 

 

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MarketDay: Documentary Photos of a July Farmers Market in Switzerland

Published by Wednesday, July 17, 2013 Permalink 0


MarketDay: Documentary Photos of a July Farmers Market in Switzerland

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Top 13 Hotels in Geneva, Switzerland

Published by Friday, June 14, 2013 Permalink 0

 Top 13 Hotels in Geneva, Switzerland

 

English: Geneva

 

Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva

Hôtel Président Wilson

Intercontinental

Mandarin Oriental Geneva

Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva

Beau-Rivage Geneva

Hotel de la Paix Geneva

La Reserve Geneva Hotel and Spa

Le Richemond

Mövenpick Hotel & Casino

D’Angleterre Geneva

Hotel Bristol Geneva

Tiffany Hotel Geneva

Warwick Geneva

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Switzerland: Best Meat Restaurants and Steakhouses in Geneva

Published by Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Permalink 0

Switzerland: Best Meat Restaurants and Steakhouses in Geneva

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Au Carnivore, French cuisine, 30 place du Bourg-de-Four, 1204 Geneva. Tel. (+41) 022 311 87 58, open 7 days a week.

L’Auberge au Renfort de Sézegnin, French cuisine, 19, route du Creux-du-Loup, 1285 Sézegnin (Athenaz). Tel. (+41) 022 756 12 36.

Bistrot du Boucher, French cuisine, 15, avenue Pictet-de-Rochement, 1207 Geneva. Tel. (+41) 022 736 56 36. Closed Wednesday lunch, Saturday lunch and Sunday.

La Broche, French cuisine, 36, rue du Stand, 1204 Geneva. Tel. (+41) 022 321 22 60. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday dinner.

Restaurant Café de Paris, French cuisine, 26 rue du Mont-Blanc, 1201 Geneva. Tel. (+41) 022 732 84 50. Open 7 days a week, non-stop from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Restaurant/Café de l’Ecu, French cuisine, 65, route de Rougemont, 1286 Soral. Tel. (+41) 022 756 33 50. Open 7 days a week, non-stop from  8 a.m. to 12 a.m.

L’Entrecôte Couronnée, 5, rue des Pâquis, 1201 Geneva. Tel. (+41) 022 732 84 45.

L’Entrecôte Saint-Jean, French cuisine, 79 boulevard Carl-Vogt, 1205 Geneva. Tel. (+41) 022 321 99 41, Closed Saturday lunch,, Sunday, and Monday.

 

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Switzerland: Geneva Restaurant Suggestions

Published by Sunday, June 2, 2013 Permalink 0


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Jardins de Brunswick (in front of Le Richemond), rue Adémar-Fabri 7, 1201 Geneva. +41 022 731 60 16. Open 07H15 to 22H00 Mon. thru Wed, 07H15 to 24H00 Thurs. and Fri., and 10H00 to 24h00 on Saturday. Closed Sundays. info@cottagecafe.ch, www.cottagecafe.ch

When you have to meet someone near the quai du Mont-Blanc or in the Pâquis neighborhood, this is a great stopoff if you don’t have the pocketbook for the more upscale Richemond and Beau-Rivage venues right behind it. Plus, it is in a beautiful setting, right smack in the middle of the Brunswick gardens.

It’s nice in both summer and winter. The terrace is spectacular, of course, and you even get glimpses of jet d’eau from time time. Inside, it’s cozy and funky.

Breakfast includes birchermuësli, homemade jams and freshly squeezed juices. They have a daily lunch menu, serve pastries in the afternoon, and tapas starting at 18h00.

There is a selection of good quality local wines by the glass or bottle, along with some wines from other places.

Quirinale

Rue de la Rôtisserie 6, 1204 Geneva. +41 022 748 48 48

I’ve only had the truffle pizza, which is the house specialty, but I have been dreaming of it ever since.

Emmanuel de Savoie is part owner I hear.

Great central location, chic and full of jetsetters, and a little pricey if you eat a 3-course meal with wine. They do have lunch specials however, and that truffle pizza . . .

La Terrazza

Route de Florissant 51, 1206 Geneva. +41 022 345 56 00. Open for lunch and dinner. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

I discovered this almost hidden Swiss-style café-restaurant many years ago on my treks back and forth to the Beaulieu clinique.

Mr. Borella started as waiter at the Lion d’Or during its golden age. He later set out on his own and has been in this same location for about 25 years. Mrs. Borella cooks and Mr. Borella serves. They are from the Dolomites, so they cook hardy, traditional dishes, as well as some well turned-out Swiss classics.

The price is about as right as you can get, and they buy all their ingredients from local producers. The tomatoes taste like tomatoes and the salads, well they come straight from Chapuis.

Nologo Restaurant

Rue de Fribourg 11, 1201 Geneva. +41 022 901 03 33. Open Mon. thru Fri. lunch and dinner, Sat. dinner only. Closed Sundays. resto@nologo.ch, www.nologo.ch

This is Japanese food like you eat in Japan, not adapted for Western tastes. Wonderful mixtures of unusual flavors and ingredients like you’d never find in your regular, standardized-menu sushi bars.

Don’t count on them being friendly, just think about what’s on your plate. Tiny space so reserve well ahead.

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Geneva and Lausanne: Sustainable Living Resources in Switzerland

Published by Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Permalink 0

Geneva and Lausanne: Sustainable Living Resources in Switzerland

This is a new list for sustainable living in Geneva and Lausanne and we’ll be adding to it and updating it on a regular basis. We will extend it to other French-speaking cities as we add to the list.

Free WiFi in Geneva and Lausanne

 

 

 

GENEVA

The city of Geneva is in the process of setting up free WiFi hotspots in and around Geneva, referred to as “GeSpots”. The project is a long-term project, but terminals are already available at the locations marked in green. Click here to see the map.

LAUSANNE

Free WiFi hotspots are available in the following locations in Lausanne: Saint-François, Riponne, Flon, Palud, Montbenon, Navigation, Port d’Ouchy and at the Service des Automobiles automobile registration and inspection office and the Blécherette aerodrome.

Farmers and Open-air Markets

Sandrine Chapuis’ own mesclun, mixed greens from hills of Geneva

 

 

 

 

 

GENEVA

This site lists all the markets by day. A handy map is included with each listing so you can see where it is located in Geneva.

LAUSANNE

The Marchés Lausannois site lists the weekly markets:

Downtown/Center of Town Markets

Wednesday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
In downtown pedestrian streets: agricultural produce and products
On Place de la Riponne: bakery, butcher, fowl, mushrooms and non-food products

Nettles

 
 
 
 

Marché de Chauderon / Chauderon Market

Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Flea market

Marché du boulevard de Grancy / Boulevard de Grancy Market

Monday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Marché des Chômeurs

Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Place de la Riponne: flea market and miscellaneous other goods

 

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What to Eat in Switzerland: A Geneva Christmas: Longeole Sausage

Published by Friday, December 21, 2012 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

From the archives

Christmas traditions in Switzerland

One should never think that everybody in Switzerland eats the same thing for Christmas dinner. With four languages and a multitude of “mini-cultures” tucked away its various mountain niches, and with a huge international population, Switzerland may well have more Christmas menus than any other country in the world.

In the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Geneva’s traditions are quite apart from the Vaud, for example, due to the late date Geneva finally decided to become part of Switzerland. Geneva traditions are often more influenced by their Savoyard and French neighbors, since they share about 100 km of border with them and only 5 km with canton Vaud.

What’s so special about a Longeole?

Many Genevois eat a sausage specific to Geneva called longeole. Every region and many villages have their own sausage recipes, but the longeole is quite apart from the others for several reasons.

 

Longeole sausage and potatoes cooked in
white wine, a Geneva Christmas specialty.

 

For one thing, it contains not only ground pork but also ground pork rind. This keeps it from drying out and gives it fuller flavor. The other, and quite major, difference is that that it is speckled with fennel seeds, probably a Savoyard influence.

Any good local butcher makes his own longeole. If not, it is advisable to find one who does. It’s Christmas, so you want to be certain it’s of good quality.

Cooking Longeole

Longeole is easy to cook, but you must allow yourself enough time. It takes longer to cook than other cooking sausages because of the addition of the pork rind, which is harder than simple ground pork.

Use a soup pot tall enough to hold your sausage. Fill with water and bring water to boil. Add a touch of salt. Drop in sausage, lower heat, and let it simmer for 2 hours 45 minutes or 3 hours. The water should be just on the verge of boiling during the whole cooking time. It is then ready to slice and eat.

Some cooks prick the Longeole with a fork before cooking, but purist that I am, I think you risk losing some of the juices, which would take away from the flavor and make the sausage less succulent in the mouth. It is also important not to let it boil, because this too will dry it out.

What do Genevois eat with Longeole?

Like everywhere, different families have different traditions, different favorites, but the most common accompaniments are potatoes cooked in white wine, lentil stew and cardoon gratin, all Geneva specialties as well.

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