VINTAGE SUITCASE Switzerland Some tradition of the country

A miscellaneous country It is not obvious to find typical and well established rituals and family traditions that are popular in every Region. In Switzerland we have 4 languages and 26 Cantons, so that every Region has often his own traditions. But let’s try to find something really common…

Chocolate has a very long history. Around 1900 BC the Mayas and others peoples were already cultivating cocoa in Central America. A SWEET TRADITION CALLED CHOCOLATE They used the cocoa beans to prepare a very nourishing drink, which they called "Xocolatl", from which we probably get the modern word "chocolate".

The Spanish conquistadors of the 16th century were also interested in chocolate. In early 1500, they took the first cocoa to Spain, after that it became popular also in France and became a fashionable drink of the aristocracy, and from there it spread throughout the whole of Europe. But the exotic drink at that time had a very different taste from the present one. It tasted BITTER and SALTED!

Then Spain added SUGAR to the recipe, as well as honey, to counteract the natural bitterness. In 1815, a Dutch chemist introduced alkaline salts to chocolate, which reduced its bitterness and he created a machine-pressed chocolate to remove about half the natural fat, which made chocolate both cheaper to produce and more consistent in quality. This innovation introduced the modern era of chocolate. Chocolate would remain a treat for the elite and the wealthy until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution brought steam-powered engines to speed the processing of the bean.

The first try to invent solid chocolate had its origins in France in the years following 1830, but only in Switzerland, in the years after, JOSEPH FRY learned to make chocolate moldable by adding back melted cacao butter. A candles producer, DANIEL PETER worked with his father in law (FRANCOIS-LOUIS CAILLER, inventor of the chocolate bars) invented milk chocolate by adding powdered milk developed by HENRI NESTLE’. Then the texture and taste of chocolate was further improved when RUDOLPHE LINDT.

Swiss chocolate industry is nowadays is very important to the economy of the country, Switzerland is one of the first producer and exporter of chocolate in the world. Swiss people are also the main consumer of chocolate: with 12,3 kg every year pro person!

A salted tradition: CHEESE Another tradition in Switzerland is the production of cheese, that is diffused in all the regions of the country, also if Swiss cuisine combines influences from the German, French and North Italian cuisine, so that it varies greatly from region to region.

Each area of the country, each region has its own types of cheese – the diversity of products created from one single base ingredient (good Swiss milk) is quite astonishing! Such as, for example, the soft and melting Vacherin cheese, the aromatic Appenzeller, the full-flavoured Sbrinz, the Emmentaler, famous for its big holes, the world-famous Gruyère, and round about 450 other cheese siblings. The stalls of farmers and cheese merchants at the weekly markets are a true treasure trove. Many of the cheeses sold there come straight from the Alpine pastures and are cut from the wheel. The many Alpine cheese cellars are also well worth a visit.

Raclette Melted cheese served with "Gschwellti" (jacket potatoes), cocktail gherkins and onions as well as pickled fruit. Typical cheese menu

Cheese fondue Melted cheese with bread cubes. The bread cubes are picked up on the fork and swivelled in the melted cheese, which is served in a traditional ceramic fondue pot called ‘caquelon’.

Winter traditions SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING School & holidays

ICE HOCKEY Play and fans

2 National League A in Ticino : Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta (HCAP) founded in 1937, also known as "Bianco-Blu" (English: white and blues) Ambrì and Piotta are two very small villages in the municipality of Quinto, located in the northern part of the valley Leventina canton Ticino, with a combined population of 500 people. Ambrì-Piotta has more than 40 fan clubs all over Europe. For major events, like the derby against southern rivals HC Lugano, the fans compose a choreography.

Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano and founded in The team has won seven Swiss championships.

THEIR FANS TRADITION