9 Unmissable Foods for Swiss National Day

The United States has July 4. France has 14 juillet. And Switzerland celebrates its National Day on August 1.

The idea of going on a shopping spree to find unmissable foods for the festivities started with an Instagram post and a question for our community:

"What shall we pack for the 1. August Swiss National Holiday?"

It did not take long before our community started to contribute their advice.

With the kind permission from Migros to take photographs, we went aisle by aisle looking for those Swiss treasures... These days, there was barely a POS display without a Swiss cross on it:

Trying all kinds of new foods is not necessarily on the top of the list for Newly Swissed arrivals. However, what better opportunity than Switzerland's birthday to walk the Migros aisles and pick up some new products? To help you smooth into the local culinary world, we have compiled a Newly Swissed list of unmissable Swiss foods you should try on Swiss National Day.

Here are 9 unmissable foods for Swiss National Day:

1. Augustweggli Buns

No doubt that Switzerland is a land of bread. Especially for Swiss National Day, bakeries across Switzerland are decking their shelves with cutesy bread buns sporting tiny Swiss flags. Slightly on the sweet side, these 1. Augustweggli work best for a patriotic breakfast first thing on August 1.

Swiss honey from Ticino

The taste of honey depends very much on its origin and composition. We picked up a pot of honey from Ticino, hoping that the warmth of the southern sun will make its way onto our 1. Augustweggli bun.

Swiss Flower Petal Cheese

As if Swiss cheese was not enough by itself, how about Swiss cheese containing colorful dried flower petals? The Heidi Blütenkäse from Grisons looks like an alpine pasture thanks to its marigold and cornflower petals.

Zuger Kirschtorte Cherry Pie

The Zuger Kirschtorte, a traditional cherry pie from Zug, holds a special place in the hearts of many Swiss. On Swiss National Day after a lengthy farm brunch, what better occasion to indulge in this delightful dessert?

The cherry pie is crafted with layers of light sponge cake generously filled with juicy cherries and whipped cream. But the real secret inside is a generous infusion of Kirsch, a Swiss cherry brandy...

Swiss Style Cheese Spread

Still more cheese, this one a classic: The packaging for "Swiss Style" cheese spread has not changed in decades - and neither has its taste! Since each cheese spread has a different flavor, the most unpopular one is always left in the end... In my family, the "meat" flavor was a regular looser.

Patriotic Boiled Eggs

They may not taste better, but these patriotic Swiss eggs are sure to create a scene! A limited edition is only available during July, these boiled eggs simply cannot be missed on a Newly Swissed brunch table.

Cervelat Sausage

The cervelat is Switzerland's national sausage. 160 million are produced each year to still the Swiss appetite. Do the math, and this will average to about 25 per person, annually. We like cervelats BBQ'ed on a firepit, but Mamiko found a way to sauté them in a frying pan.

And in a country with so many dialects, there are numerous names: Cervelas (French), Klöpfer (Basel), or Servela (Zürich). What do you call it in English?

Rivella Swiss Soda Beverage

Rivella has been Switzerland's unofficial soda since 1952. A myth among newly arrived expats is that Rivella contains milk, when in fact it is made of milk whey.

Be courageous and give it a try! Maybe you will soon count yourself to generations of Swiss who love their Rivella... If you do not care for the traditional Rivella rot or the diet blue kind, try one of their many other flavors.

Patriotic Swiss Donuts

Just when you thought you have seen it all comes another product with cult status. And we kid you not: it's patriotic Swiss donuts! These American donuts are covered with red icing and sprinkled with tiny Swiss crosses.

They're definitely an eye-catcher for your Swiss National Day party...

(For the purpose of this post, Migros has generously offered a complimentary selection of their products.)