DELICIOUS!
RICHARD’S SAUSAGES
For 40 years Richard Ritsch, 54, has stood on the Stilfser Joch, the highest pass in Italy, selling sausages with sauerkraut and “incredibly good bread,” all for five euros. Many regulars plan their journey over the Alps to include a stop at “Richard’s Sausage Stand” 2,757 meters above sea level. “I’ve got the best sausages in Europe,” says Ritsch with confidence: “The higher up you go, the better they taste.”
RODENTS’ RETREAT
The marmot (Marmota marmota) is the largest rodent among the Alpine fauna. Up to 15,000 are caught each year in Switzerland and Austria. Their cortisone-rich fat is valued for its medicinal properties and used in ointments. Even today, the cute little creatures sometimes end up roasted or casseroled. Try these restaurants:
www.alpetta.ch
www.jesacherhof.at
www.laret.ch
NATURALLY TASTY
At his inn, the Gasthof Rössli in Escholzmatt in the Entlebuch district of Switzerland, Stefan Wiesner cooks with the ingredients nature provides: smoked snowflake soup, filet of lamb on willow, veal marinated with ant sauce or smoked with spruce, with mistletoe ice cream for dessert. Wiesner is one of Switzerland’s most creative cooks and boasts 17 Gault Millau points.
