Definitive proof of Bavaria’s culinary dominance over Zurich

Posted by Jul on 12 November 2007

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… the cheesy pretzel.

First, Zurich’s version:

A dry, almost stale pretzel which has been sliced opened, buttered, and filled with a couple of cold slices of cheese (which, as you’ll notice, are nowhere near pretzel-shaped, leaving one with many bites that include only cheese or buttered cheese).

And now the Bavarian version:

A giant, fresh pretzel with… you’ll never believe this was possible… cheese MELTED ON TOP OF IT! All I can say is yum yum yum yum yum yum yum. I know what I’ll be living off of for the next year.

You might also notice that this Bavarian giant cheesy pretzel costs less than the regular-sized Swiss cheesy pretzel, proving that this amazing technology isn’t even cost-prohibitive. I’m considering offering a scholarship to some Swiss bakers to come up here and study the top-secret cheesy pretzel methods of the Bavarians. Any takers?

Posted from Munich.

Tags: comparative expattery, food, Munich, Zurich

Comments (9)

• 
  Marcy

  November 12th, 2007

  lol, this reminds me of the first time I stopped to buy a buttered “bretzel” here in Geneva, expecting the “buttered” part to mean butter melted over it, as it does in the US. Imagine my shock as I stick my hand into the bag to tear off a piece of pretzel and discover a whole buttery gooey-ness from the butter spread thick in the middle of my pretzel sandwich-of-sorts! It was quite amusing.

• 
  Sara

  November 12th, 2007

  i think the swiss suck in general at recreating the bread based items of their neighbors. we get amazing wonderful bread and croissants in France, literally 10 minutes away, and then the stuff you find in Geneva is so gross in comparison.
  If you get your scholarship started you should start a part for the French speakers also¨!

• 
  Shelley - At Home in Rome

  November 13th, 2007

  I am very jealous! I took Ale to Berlin last weekend for a birthday trip and let me tell you how I was loving the pretzels everywhere. We even went to see a concert at the Philharmonic and after the show… pretzel vendors outside! Also, I was loving the prices… from 60 cents and up. The Swiss pretzel there was pretty pricey!

• 
  Shelley - At Home in Rome

  November 13th, 2007

  I mean your Swiss pretzel in the photos, not that there are any Swiss pretzels to be found in Berlin.

• 
  Vegemite Wife

  November 19th, 2007

  Sooo hungry for a pretzel now!
  Hope the move has gone well.

  Suze x

• 
  Dana

  November 20th, 2007

  I miss waking up in Germany, walking to the bakery for fresh morning bread and those free smells throughout the entire town, oh a delight.

• 
  notswiss

  December 10th, 2007

  I’ve been reading your blog off and on, but I stopped reading it a while ago because of your overwhelming negativity about Switzerland and Zurich. I’m sorry you hated it so much.

  I guess you have to get your final digs in. :/ I am also an American expatriate, and I love living in this beautiful country.

  Good luck in Germany. Hopefully you won’t find it as distasteful there.

• 
  Jul

  December 11th, 2007

  notswiss – I think you must be confusing me with someone else. I raved about Zurich and Switzerland on this blog a lot more than I complained about them (and most ‘complaints’, like this post, were in jest). But if you can’t stand hearing anything other than cheers for Switzerland, I suggest you stop reading the internet at all – there’s all kinds of mean stuff out there!

• 
  Dave

  December 10th, 2009

  I LOVE the Käsebrezen. The only thing better is a Schinkenkäsebrezen, with little bacon cubes embedded in the melted cheese