Breaking Brot
I stumbled on a wonderful thing last week -- Zurich's annual baker's festival. All the major bakeries in town set up stands on Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich's main shopping street, and were handing out samples and selling their mouth-watering goods. I dropped all my other plans and parked myself there for a good hour or so, and just in time for lunch!

Bread and cake hold a special place in German (and thus Swiss German) culture. I think it has something to do with cold winters and the coziness of a something baking in the oven. At any rate, baking is something of an artform here, and they hold the artisan baker in the highest esteem.



The bread tends to be pretty hearty, with lots of wholegrains and nuts. But the variety is huge. It comes in special shapes too - like hearts and turtles. There are also cakes, pasteries and cookies aplenty. Those are of course an important component of Kaffeeklatsch, a tradition that's alive and well in these parts.

I went for a bag of macaroons, fresh out of the oven, and a long crusty loaf of olive bread. My cousin, who was visiting from Italy over the weekend, even approved. A culinary nod from Italy. I can't think of a compliment much higher than that.