Summertime Birchermüesli

With fresh berries in season, here's my summer version of this classic Swiss dish.

As you may already know, the original version of müesli comes from Switzerland. It’s one of the few Swiss foods, as well as one of the few Swiss German words, that people know throughout the world. Müesli can be translated to something like “little purée” or “little mush.”

Unlike the crisp cereals you may find today at your local supermarket, the first version of this dish centered around one ingredient in particular: raw, grated apple. The dish’s name comes from its inventor, Dr. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner (1867-1939). He served it to his patients at the Lebendige Kraft (Vital Force) sanatorium in Zürich, Switzerland.

You can still find the site of the former sanatorium on the hillside of the Zürichberg. It’s now owned by an insurance company, but there’s a plaque in front of the building bearing Dr. Bircher-Benner’s name.

Dr. Bircher-Benner’s former clinic in Zürich. You can see the commemorative plaque to the right.

Dr. Bircher-Benner originally named his dish “Apfeldiätspeise” (apple diet dish). The original recipe calls for oats soaked in water mixed with grated apple, lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk and nuts. He considered the raw ingredients as having important health benefits.

In French-speaking Switzerland, people use the doctor’s name to refer to this dish. For example, you’ll see it on restaurant menus today simply listed as, Bircher.

When I was doing research for my Swiss Suppers book, paging through old cookbooks in Museum Luzern’s archives, I came across an advertisement for Nestlé condensed milk from Germany that contains a recipe for “Diätspeise,” based on Dr. Bircher-Benner’s recipe. It describes this dish as “the most nutritious and digestible breakfast and dinner.”

A Nestle advertisement I found in an old cookbook from Museum Luzern.

In my Swiss Suppers book, I have a single-serving recipe for this dish that more closely resembles Dr. Bircher-Benner’s original version. No matter which recipe I use, I generally don’t add any sugar or other sweeteners to my homemade birchermüesli.

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Swiss-Inspired Summer Recipes

Here are some more seasonal recipes for hot weather, in case you need them!

Recipes: clockwise, starting from the top left:

• Tomme Panée Wrapped in Bacon

• Zucchini Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Bleuchâtel Cheese

• Grilled Flatbreads with Fresh Tomatoes & Sérac (Ziger)

• Arugula Salad with Tête de Moine

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An Elegant Lunch at PIC au Beau-Rivage Palace

Did you know that celebrated French chef Anne-Sophie Pic has a restaurant in Lausanne? Located at the historic Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace, her PIC restaurant has earned two Michelin stars.

The newly opened terrace and garden seating at PIC Restaurant in Lausanne.

Last week, I was invited to test the restaurant’s new lunchtime formula—four to five elegant, flavorful courses in only 90 minutes, starting from CHF 160. We dined outside at the newly renovated garden table, and you can read about my experience here.

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Thanks for reading my Swiss Recipes newsletter!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any recommendations for Swiss summer dishes. I’m always searching for recipes and stories from across Switzerland.

And, if you know anyone that might be interested in my newsletter, please pass it along!

Until next week,
-Heddi

P.S. I have some exciting news to share about a culinary weekend retreat I’m co-hosting next year. More info coming soon!

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Recipe: Summertime Birchermüesli

A super-quick dish for breakfast, snack time or a sweet supper.

Prep: 10 minutes
Servings: 4-5