Bernese specialities

High up on the alpine pastures of the Bernese Oberland, Berner Alpkäse AOP, the traditional Bernese alpine cheese, is made every summer from fresh raw milk, directly on the alp and according to traditional methods. Some wheels mature for many more months and become Berner Hobelkäse AOP, a matured cheese shaved into wafer-thin curls. Whether enjoyed in a mountain hut, with an aperitif or as a souvenir, these cheese specialities bring a taste of Bernese alpine summer to the plate.

Diemtigtal mountain milk and the flavourful mountain cheese from the Diemtigtal Nature Park dairy stand for regional quality, sustainability and short transport routes. By buying these products, you support around 70 farming families from the Diemtigtal valley who actively promote biodiversity. Whether on a cheese platter, at a picnic or as a snack between meals, these products bring authentic mountain flavour from the valley to the table.

At the Vorderfultigen mountain dairy in Gantrisch Nature Park, Pius Hitz and his team handcraft Le Gruyère AOP and Fultiger mountain cheese. The milk comes from farms within a radius of just one kilometre. Awarded at the World Cheese Awards 2026, the Gruyère AOP looks back on a history dating to 1115 and stands out with notes of mountain flowers and alpine herbs. Fultiger is young, fresh and milky in flavour.

Längenberger ham stands for authentic regional flavour from Gantrisch Nature Park. Carefully prepared, finely seasoned and gently refined, it impresses both warm and cold with its aromatic taste and tender texture. Whether for a Swiss-style snack, on a cold platter or as a warm speciality from the oven, this ham brings regional craftsmanship to the plate.

Tête de Moine AOP, Fromage de Bellelay, is a semi-hard cheese with over 800 years of history, produced in six dairies in the Grand Chasseral region. Monks once made this valuable cheese at Bellelay Monastery and even used it as a means of payment. This is where its name, “monk’s head”, comes from. Tête de Moine AOP is enjoyed in fine rosettes, also known as cheese flowers. The annual highlight is the Fête de la Tête de Moine, which celebrates this special cheese tradition.

AOC Lake Biel wines are high-quality wines from the vineyards around Lake Biel, especially from Ligerz, Schafis and Twann. The mild microclimate and limestone-rich soils shape their character. On more than 220 hectares, winegrowers mainly cultivate Chasselas, also known as Gutedel, as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The wines stand out for their freshness, elegance and fine minerality. Local wine culture is celebrated at wine festivals in spring and autumn.

Butter, eggs and flour are the main ingredients of Kambly’s thin Bretzeli biscuits. In fact, these biscuits from the Emmental Valley have been one of Switzerland’s most popular snacks for more than a hundred years. It was Oscar Kambly who perfected his in-laws’ Bretzeli recipe, and began selling the biscuits at his bakery – with great success. In 1910, he founded the now world-famous Kambly company.

In 1989, Bern’s own confectionery Glatz came up with the idea of filling an old bear-shaped mould made by the German manufacturer Friedrich Anton Reiche with a tasty cake mix to mark the company’s 125th anniversary: the Bern Mandelbärli was born! This sweet bear is now available in several variations, from Irish cream to strawberry to gluten- and lactose-free.

In 1865, the pharmacist Dr Georg Wander formulated a malt extract in a laboratory in the old town of Bern to combat the widespread malnutrition at that time. After his son perfected it and rounded it off with cocoa, Ovaltine was launched and marketed as a medicinal product in Switzerland in 1904. But soon even healthy people were drinking Ovaltine. Today, there is a multitude of products on the market, from spreads to snacks and muesli.

During the second half of the 19th century several factories were established on the premises behind Bern’s main railway station; one of them was the Tobler chocolate factory. In 1908, Theodor Tobler came up with Toblerone, a milk chocolate with a honey, almond and nougat filling. Today, it is one of the world's best-known Swiss chocolates.

Ragusa was born of necessity: In 1942, in the middle of World War II, raw ingredients like cocoa were at a premium. So Bern chocolate manufacturer Camille Bloch came up with the idea of coating a chocolate mix made of ground nuts and whole nuts with fine chocolate. And, to this day, Ragusa is still made using the same recipe and the same method; in fact, it’s still made by the same family!

The Länggass quarter in Bern is a vibrant student quarter with lots of pretty cafés and original shops. "Länggass-Tee" is now something of an institution – a family-run tea shop on the premises of an old tobacconist’s. Particularly delicious: "Berner Rosen", a delicate fruit and flower tea blending pieces of apple, cinnamon, hibiscus, rose petals, linden blossoms, and nettles.

Initially, Ingwerer was something of an insider’s tip, today, it is the Bern in-trend drink bar none. In 2013, Peppe Jenzer tasted a ginger-based schnapps at a friend’s house and felt the drink could be improved on. So he began experimenting. His creation is not too spicy, but not too sweet either. And what’s particularly neat is that simply shaking the bottle makes the liqueur even spicier.

As an independent, family-owned company, Rugenbräu AG in Interlaken has been brewing beer with traditional methods for generations. In 1999, the brewery introduced Switzerland’s first officially distilled beer brandy, thus paving the way for whisky making in Switzerland. Barely ten years later, the first Swiss Mountain Single Malt Whisky was launched onto the market.

Spicy, vegan and sustainable: Those who prefer to add a fiery spiciness to their dishes should try Jungle Døg, a high-quality hot sauce from Bern. The puristic sauce made from regional habanero chilies promises a fiery-exotic flavour experience. The chilies are cultivated in pots on the rooftops of Bern; so-called urban farming.