Ideas for a Swiss Themed Party
Do this Swiss party? There certainly don't seem to be many world renowned Swiss party traditions, and if you search the internet looking for
ideas to help you throw a Swiss themed football party
you're most likely to end up on the sites of various Swiss political parties! Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Swiss don't seem to have a great partying tradition, which in some ways isn't
surprising if you've ever visited the country and had to buy a round of drinks! Cheap it most certainly is not!
Even on August 1st - Swiss National Day - there is nothing uniquely Swiss about the celebrations - a few fireworks, Swiss flags flying everywhere and bread rolls baked with a Swiss cross on top,
but nothing really that different from anywhere else. If you know differently and want to suggest some ideas, please do get in touch. Until we hear from
someone, we'd recommend some Swiss flags and bunting, some Swiss beer (if you can track any down) and several large fondues!
Swiss Party Decorations
Decorate yourself and your room with Switzerland shirts, flags and scarves (see links,
right, or
search for Switzerland kit at Kitbag.comg(512634)a(1759159))
).
If you're serving food, search for red and white table covers, napkins, plates, cups and
cutlery on our general
Football Party Decorations Page
For bunting, flags, balloons and more
Swiss Party Decorations Ideas,
visit our
European Football Party Decorations Page
As for colour schemes, in addition to the above ideas, anything else you can find in red, blue and white will help create the right atmosphere.
Food for a Switzerland Themed Party
Perched up in the Alps and sandwiched between Germanic, French and Italian influences, the traditional Swiss diet tends to be quite heavy on pork and dairy produce, especially cheese, so quite high
in fat and calories - perfect for climbing up and down mountains all day, but less well suited to some forms of modern life.
The obvious choice for a
Swiss football party is to do fondue. The word fondue is derived from the French for "melted".
You can do cheese, broth and/or chocolate, and believe it or not, there are different types of fondue pot for each type:
|
|
A chocolate fondue is best created using a glazed ceramic pot. Chocolate can burn at high temperatures, so a fondue pot with a candle as the heat source is ideal.
You can use a glazed ceramic pot with a gas heater, but you need to keep the heat turned down as low as possible and stir the chocolate at the bottom of the pot frequently.
Classic Chocolate Fondue
Alternative Chocolate Fondue
|
|
|
The best fondue pots for a cheese fondue are unglazed ceramic pots with a gas burner. Using an unglazed surface allows the flavors of the cheese, wine and other ingredients
to gradually soak into the ceramic and so over time add flavor to your future fondues. The Swiss name for this pot is caquelon.
It should only be washed with very hot water to rinse any excess cheese from the sides; do not use detergent.
Classic Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe
Alternative Cheese Fondue Recipe with Cheddar & Beer
Blue Cheese Fondue Recipe
|
|
|
For a meat fondue cooked in either broth or oil, you should use a metal pot. There are a number of options available, including stainless steel, cast iron, and
copper pots lined with either tin or stainless steel. Cast-iron pots take a while to heat up, but they hold the temperature at a more constant level.
When using a cast-iron pot, wait for at least an hour to touch it after you extinguish the heat source, because they take a while to cool down too!
Oil Fondue Recipe for Breaded Chicken
Basic Recipe for Bourguignonne Fondue - Beef in Oil
Asian-influenced Seafood Broth-style Fondue
|
Drink for a Switzerland Themed Party
The best thing to drink with a rich fondue is something light and crisp, such as a dry Swiss white or rosé wine, or a Swiss lager-style beer. Some people recommend drinking tea
with fondue, as it is supposed to stimulate the digestion. Swiss beers aren't particularly well-known outside of their homeland -
Eichof is probably one of the better known.
