Secrets Of Swiss German language, restaurant words, raclette, and cooking spaezli

Can you recognize the words for bread and butter and breakfast in German?

Learning German

I have been learning German on Duolingo. I can recognize bread, butter and breakfast. But now I am planning to go to German speaking Switzerland.

Swiss German

What's different about Swiss German? In some ways, from an English speaker's point of view, Swiss German is German made easy. Let's start with the easy bits. 

Firstly, Swiss German is easier for English speakers to read because it uses the double s instead of the vertical squiggly s which most English speakers don't have on their laptop keyboard.

Swiss German speakers are likely to understand standard German, so learning German will help you to be understood when speaking, as well as helping you to read signs and menus. In fact there's a hybrid language, Swiss standard German, which is used for writing and formal situations, which is closer to standard German spoken in Germany. 

Swiss German is also spoken in Liechtenstein, which is sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria.

French in German Speaking Switzerland

You will probably recognize 

fondue (literally melted, usually melted cheese in a large pot for dipping meat and/or vegetables)

and chocolate for dipping fruit

raclette - melted cheese (often raclette cheese) served on boiled potatoes, or on bread as a snack, with black tea or white wine

They use the French word merci for thank you. 

The word for little is li added on the end of a word, notably for bun (little bread), kitten (little cat), hundli for puppy (little dog), like the English doggy and dolly.

Swiss-German - English

Brot - bread / loaf  

Brötli -  little bread (bun?) or roll

Hend Si  ... ? - Do you have ...?

merci - thank you

merci vilmal - thank you very much (literally thanks many times)

rösti - (Same as standard German) grated, fried potato, like American hash bowns

Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns and hashbrowns, are a popular American breakfast food consisting of finely julienned potatoes that have been fried until golden brown. Hash browns are a staple breakfast item at diners in North America, where they are often fried on a large, common cooktop or grill. Wikipedia. Julienned means cutting into long thin strips.

Spätzli  In Switzerland they are called Spätzli or Chnöpfli, in Germany Spätzle - is an egg noodle dish, with pieces of a lumpy shape.

According to wiki, it is the Swabian and Alsacian diminutive of Spatz, thus literally 'little sparrow'.^[3] Some linguists derive it from the word “clump”, meaning dough which tends to form clots.^[4]

Swiss egg noodles. From Wikipedia. Photo taken by Kobako.

Znüni - elevenses (snack in a mid-morning break)

English - Swiss-German

Do you have ...? - Hend Si ...?

bread - Brot )

bun / roll -  brötli (Swiss-German)

croissant (French and English and German) - gipfil (Swiss-German)

chocolate - schoggi (German Schokolade)

I am - ich bi (Standard German is ich bin)

thank you - merci (French and Swiss-German) - (German danke)

German uses capital initial letters for nouns. English and French use capital initials only for proper names (Places and people, personal names).

Useful Websites on Swiss German and German

https://www.swiss-german-online.com/at-the-restaurant.html

Simple and comprehensive

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Swiss-German_phrasebook

Detailed and technical

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_German

Clear, amusing, but fewer words

https://studyinginswitzerland.com/swiss-german-vs-german-differences/

For Standard German

Duolingo.com

Translate Google

https://translate.google.co.uk/

Food Terms in German

https://www.switzerlandisyours.com/E/guide/basics/food-terms-german.html

You can find Swiss delis in the Finchley Road in Dublin, Eire; London 0 though that might just take its name from Swiss Cottage; and  New Zealand.

Food articles

https://www.mashed.com/289205/what-is-spaetzle-and-what-does-it-taste-like/

Entertaining article with recipe and picture of a device for making spaezli:

https://www.helvetickitchen.com/recipes/2015/10/15/spaztli

Spazli maker on Amazon £7.99 plus £4.99 postage to a UK address.

Websites updated Wed July 1st 2026.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Panettone All Year, and Seasonal cakes and desserts

Last Christmas in UK supermarkets we could buy Christmas pudding and Christmas cake, French yule logs, the seasonal favourites, plus year round scones and crumpets. From Europe, German stollen and Italian Panettone. The UK now has an outlet devoted to Panettone. Supermarkets, from upmarket department stores to Waitrose, middle market Tesco and Morrisons, and budget friendly German Lidl and Aldi, stock a variety of European and worldwide specialities. Amazon and ebay also have links to lovely food specialities. These include

Italian Panettone

Panettone - Italian, popular in the run up to Christmas, but also increasingly Easter. The spelling is only one double letter, double t, I remember tut tut.

Panettone. Picture from Wikipedia.

Wiki explains

In Italy, historical accounts of panettone invariably state that it originated in Milan. The word panettone derives from panetto, a small loaf of bread. The augmentative suffix -one changes the meaning to 'large bread'

A one word oxymoron, small large bread. The popular size is the large one which can last in its tin all year, going gradually drier and losing flavour and aroma. It can be used up as bread pudding, bread and butter pudding.

We used to be given Panettone when we visited an Italian restaurant in Hatch End. The tinned panettone came packed inside a circular zip up bag.

Now many Italian cafe outlets before Christmas sell a few choices of Panettone on the counter beside the cashier to tempt you to make a last minute purchase of a gift for others or yourself.

The Panettone Store sells panettone from small stocking fillers to extra large. Also preserved fruit, and Italian soft nougat.

What about the rest of the world. Wiki helpfully says

Turron

Soft nougat. 

Torrone

Italian soft nougat

Nougat

Usually white chewy bars which might contain nuts, and sometimes fruit. Could be wrapped in foil for freshness and then a soft card cover.

Useful Websites On Panettone And Seasonal Food

https://thepanettonestore.co.uk/

https://thepanettonestore.co.uk/stocking-fillers/

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/spaniards-fear-italian-invasion-of-panettone-replace-roscon-bread-6mcwbv5f9

Please follow my blogs and share links to your favourite posts.

Why Try The Steak Sandwich at The Lodge Hotel In Putney? And Maids Of Honour Custard Tarts in Kew?

The library lounge at The Lodge Hotel in Putney, South London, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
 

The Lodge Hotel in Putney, south London, is a sandwich building, a modern section linking two traditional parts, two houses. The arrival was welcomingly easy. Free parking at the front and more free parking at the back. 

The Lodge Hotel's Delightful Decor

Reception is a bit dull. The best part is the library style lounge at the back. A row of bookshelves, floor to ceiling, on your right, represented cosy almost cluttered indoors. On the opposite wall it faces a giant wallpaper mural of trees and scenery. The great outdoors and spaciousness. Very restful. So, whatever your mood, cosy indoors or countryside, the setting is suitable.

The barman was friendly and had a selection of so-called sandwiches. But not sandwich snacks. More like meals. 

We wanted a quick sandwich. I was the passenger and standby driver for my husband who was booked into a wine tasting. 

Downstairs in a modern private room, the array of red wines were accompanied by a few slices of salami and crackers. My husband needed proper protein to set himself up for the evening of liquid, and the subsequent drive home.

Up at the bar, the sandwich options, all at over ten pounds, included shellfish or tuna or vegetables. The real meaty protein was the steak sandwich. 

I was outraged. A bar with no simple sandwich for five pounds. Any pub, or newsagent or Deli, Starbucks or Boots, anywhere, could sell me a simple sandwich for two pounds fifty and a a fancy sandwich of smoked salmon and cream cheese for a fiver.

We had to wait ten to fifteen minutes. The sandwich came accompanied by chips. Hm. Steak sandwich is odd. Steak and chips is more like it. My hungry, grumpy mood was modified.

Steak Sandwich Success

I had never had a steak sandwich. I was suspicious. What was it? 

To my amazement, the steak sandwich was a great success. Not just a one off success. Not just a success for one evening. A life-changing success.  An introduction to a new dish. 

The steak was thin. The bread was 'buttered' with caramelised onion, sweet like mango chutney. I loved it. Not just good enough, but never enough! More-ish! Yummy. Lip-smacking good! 

I am now addicted to caramelised onion. I shall dream of it sunk into the brown bread. Luscious. 

Is it similar to Branston pickle? Was this like the first sandwich, steak served to Lord Sandwich, who demanded not just meat on bread, which served as a platter as well as an absorber of meat juiced or gravy. Lord Sandwich wanted a piece of bread on top to keep his hands clean as he played cards. He gave his grand, double-syllabled name to the humble, quick snack, made from meat in not one but two slides of bread. 

I remember vividly my first Indian meal. My first yogurt. I can now eat pickled cucumber (gherkins), and olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. I add to my palate of delights caramelised onion spread on bread around a flat steak, sliced into strips. Delicious.

I shall always think fondly of The Lodge Hotel, dark black upstairs, grey in the basement (with a surprise high level window viewing a green slope like a cliff). 

The ladies toilets were also good. Moisturizer always makes me happy. Especially if it is a good brand with a distinctive aroma. 

In case my husband and I were both too tired to drive, I asked the price of a room. The price I was quoted was over 150, wor a basic room, with another up to thirty pounds more for the better rooms, larger with amenities such as coffee makers. The day of the week and number of rooms already sold affects the price. That explains why, when I looked on a sales website next day, I found a third party offering rooms at a lower price than what was available at the front desk.

Where is this hotel? We drove back into London across the Kew bridge. 

Maids Of Honour

We reminisced about buying /maids of honour' custard tarts from the original shop. Those custard tarts came from Portugal, made for the Portuguese Queen of England by her maids of honour when she was homesick for the cuisine of her homeland. I was introduced to them by a Portuguese au pair girl who came to stay with us in London. I was astonished to find the story about the Portuguese queen was authentic. If you travel to Portugal you will find custard tarts are still a local food. 

Wikipedia attributes the name to Maids of Honour at the court of Henry VIII, but the name coming from Anne Boleyn or Henry VIII himself.

Custard tarts sounds pretty basic, as well as easy to make. Maids of honour, much grander and more complicated. 

How delightful it is to add a new dish to one's repertoire. Mine is steak sandwich. Thank you to the Lodge Hotel in Putney.

The Inventor of The Sandwich

Incidentally, the supposed inventor of the Sandwich, was the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montague. His name was also given to the Sandwich islands by explorer Cook in honour of his sponsor, Sandwich, who was First Lord of the Admiralty.

This painting of the sandwich man is by Gainsborough and is in London's Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London SE10. The picture is from Wikipedia and is in the public domain. 

The Marititme Museum is a place to visit if you are staying at The Lodge Hotel in Putney. So are Kew Gardens and the Maids of Honour tea shop.

You can buy custard tarts at all the major supermarkets in the UK such as Aldi, Marks and Spencers and Tesco.  In Lisbon and Portugal you can buy the Portugese version of custard tarts. Or visit the shop rebuilt in mock-Tudor style after WW2 bombing. The premises now has a a take away selling hot cakes and a daytime restaurant or tea shop, open 8.30 am to 6 pm. They deliver within five miles.

Over in America the Americans have their own versions of the steak sandwich, and a steak sandwich with cheese. The Lodge hotel serves steak with both bread and chips. The Americans double the ingredients, the calorie count and no doubt the price. I never said anything was healthy. I will say that steak sandwiches and custard tarts are filling and delicious.

Useful Websites

The Hotel

Nearest station, East Putney tube station.

52-54 Upper Richmond Road, Wandsworth, London SW15 2RN.

Tel:

https://www.thelodgehotellondon.com/

https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/bestwesternlodge.en-gb

The Sandwich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montagu,_4th_Earl_of_Sandwich#The_sandwich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_sandwich

English Maids of Honour Tarts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maids_of_honour_tart

https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/maids-of-honour

http://www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk/cateringservices/occasion-cakes/

Portuguese Custard Tarts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastel_de_nata

Food on the move. What to buy for breakfast? Festivals, feasts or fasts? Plan next year's meetings on a printed calendar

 

This is my friend's breakfast. A friend who I know through my Toastmasters Club Braddell Heights Advanced (More on that later.) 

I remember in London, England, buying a sandwich every day in Tesco in the UK, and a sandwich for lunch when I went shopping in Watford's shopping centre. Tesco and Marks & Spencer have now spread everywhere, even Singapore. 

Let us start with what is good in the photo. Lots of good sustenance there. So far so good. You have water, a stimulant in the caffeine, protein in the sandwich filling, some sustaining delay action food in the flour in the bread. But what is missing?

What else might you add to make a change next meal, or next repeat breakfast? We have had one family member diabetic and another with cancer so we spent hours researching healthy food. The debate goes on. Brown bread is supposed to be healthier than white bread. We bake our own, adding seeds. We try to add a piece of fruit or or mixed fruit or vegetables and seeds at breakfast or our next snack or meal. We add a glass of water to lubricate the body and brain.

Colour Coding Food

Three colours. Avoid all white or all brown.

What else might you add?

Green

Green or Greens

Greens - fruit or vegetables, apples or lettuce.

Orange, Red Or Pink

Orange or red, carrots or apples or oranges.

We have had one family member diabetic, and another with cancer, so we spent hours researching healthy food. The debate goes on.

Brown Bread

Brown bread is supposed to be healthier than white bread. I used to look for a brown bread option, reduced later in the day, or a mixture of white and brown bread sandwiches. What does the brown bread add? Roughage. Bulk.

Now when we are at home much more since Covid-19. So we bake our own bread, adding seeds.

We try to add a piece of fruit or or mixed fruit or vegetables and seeds at breakfast or our next snack or meal.

Fruit

Whole fruit is said to be better than fruit juice, as anybody diabetic learns from the government handouts. Roughage to help you move the food along and out of your body. Stop diarrhoea, or constipation.

What if you cannot afford the sandwiches or the shop has run out already?

Yogurt. Fruit. For protein add nuts.

Water

We add a glass of water to lubricate the body and brain.

Diet restrictions

I have to avoid shellfish because of an allergy. If you have an allergy, or develop one, a doctor will ask you to record everything you eat and note the symptoms and onset. This might mean eating one type of food at a time.

Useful Websites

FOOD

Allergies

Diet

Health

breakfast

Sandwiches

Coffee

For Food celebrations such as pancake day, see

https://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/pancake-day.html

My Successful Dieting

https://how2getout.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-i-lost-so-much-weight-down-to-480.html

CALENDAR

https://wishshi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/July-to-December-2021-Calendar-scaled.jpg

(Click on three dots top right of screen to find and then click on print)

For small size whole of 2022 calendar 

www.calendarpedia.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur (Jewish Fast day)

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, is a semi-retired travel writer still researching bucket list countries and seeking out the special, unusual, people, places,  landmarks, hotels, museums and trails, fabulous foods, recipes, clothes and online souvenir shopping.

Angela Lansbury is a member of Toastmasters International.

About the Author Angela Lansbury

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President. VPPR

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

BHA

Past meetings have included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on 

bha.learncool.sg/meet/bha . 

Recent meetings of BHA included an educational session on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, always first Wednesday evening, 7 pm Singapore time. Next meeting is  the third Saturday afternoon, June 19th 2pm Singapore time.  Inauguration of the new committee was by the incoming Director of S, plus a lively speech on teamwork.

Next meetings will be on these dates (unless a national holiday in Singapore or worldwide)

Themes and word of the day are tentative

2021

JULY - JUBILANT JULY

Theme/WOD Jubilant

WORKSHOPS & EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS (based on level one of Pathways)

1 Your first speech or role EASY ENGLISH LANGUAGE (Articles A and The, Plurals, Tenses, Pronunciation, Singlish)

2 CHOOSE YOUR PATH

Wed July 7th 

Saturday 17th

July 4rh American Independence Day.

2021 AUGUST - AWESOME AUGUST

1 Pathway Level 1 Introductory Speeches

2 Evaluations

Wed 4th

Sat 21

2021 SEPT - SUPER SEPTEMBER

Wed 1st

Sat 18th SPEECH CONTESTS

Humorous Speech Contest

Table Topics Contest

2021 OCT - ODD OCTOBER

Wed 6th

Sat 16th

2021 NOV - NOVELTY NOVEMBER

Wed 3rd

Sat 20th Wed

Diwali Hindu Festival of lights Nov 4th.

Nov 25th American Thanksgiving.

Hanukah starts 28 Dec 8 days until Dec 6. Jewish Festival of lights, celebrated by Jesus.

2021 DEC - DARLING DECEMBER

Wed  1st (Hanukah if not previous month. Festival foods.)

Sat 18th

Speech on 

JAN 2022 - JOYFUL JANUARY

Wed Jan 5th New beginning - forget the past

Sat 15 Long-term plans = for the future/Chinese New Year (CNY for short)

2022 FEB FUN FEBRUARY

Theme Love and romance - Chinese New Year

Feb 1st and 2nd are holidays - do we move this Feb 2nd meeting date?)

Wed 2nd (Valentine's Day Mon Feb 14)

Sat 19th

2022 MAR - MARVELLOUS MARCH

Theme

Wed 2nd

Sat 19

March 1st is Christian Pancake day. 

2022 APR - APRIL'S AIMS

Wed 6th

Sat 16th

Muslim Ramadan 1-30 April.

Jewish Passover (Seder meal=Last supper) April

 16

2022 MAY - MODERNISING MAY

Wed 4th

Sat 21

2022 JUN - JUBILANT JUNE

Wed 1st

Sat 18th

Jul 6, Jul 16, Aug 3, Aug 20, Sept 7, Sept 17, Oct 5, Oct 15, Nov 2, Nov 19, Dec 7, Dec 17.

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See many varied posts such as the post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts.