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Älplermagronen (also spelled Älplermakkaronen, lit. "Alpine herdsman’s macaroni" in German) is a dish from the Alpine regions of Switzerland, consisting of pasta, potatoes, cream, cheese, and onions. The name is made up of "Älpler" as a designation for the Alpine herder and "Magronen", which was taken as a loan word from the Italian word maccheroni.

History

Älplermagronen are now regarded as a traditional dish of the Swiss Alps and a classic of Swiss comfort foods. According to a popular theory, pasta became widespread in northern Switzerland in the late 19th century, when the Gotthard Tunnel was built, partly by Italian workers who brought dry pasta with them.^[1]^[2] In any case, dry pasta eventually became very popular in Switzerland, especially among the herdsmen, because it could be conserved easily and was very light given its nutritional value – both invaluable advantages at a time when all foods except milk and cheese had to be transported up to the alp. The "Magronen" were stretched with local potatoes, enriched with cream and cheese, and seasoned with onions. This hearty dish was easy to prepare in a cauldron over an open fire and was particularly filling after a hard working day on the alp.

Macaroni dishes might have been popular in Switzerland already well before the immigration of Italian workers. The 15th century cook from Ticino, Maestro Martino, describe macaroni recipes in his book: Libro de arte coquinaria.^[3] His macaronis are seasoned with butter and cheese, and sweet spices; he recommends among other things that the pasta must be well cooked.^[4] Shortly after, in the early 16th century, Ticino was annexed by the Old Swiss Confederacy. This favoured trade across the Alps, notably between Switzerland and Italy.^[5] By 1731, Disentis Abbey mentions in its archives a thread press machine to make hollow macaroni noodles. In 1836, A Bernese cookbook includes a "maccaroni" and cheese recipe. Switzerland’s first pasta factory opened in 1838 in Lucerne and, in 1872, commercial production of macaroni as we know it today is attested.^[5]

Recipe and variants

Älplermagronen are typically made from Swiss pasta, which contains eggs, preferably in thick shapes such as penne, ziti or macaroni. The smaller Hörnli (in French: cornettes) can also be used.^[3] The pasta is boiled together with diced potatoes, adding both ingredients in order, considering the difference in cooking time. The amount of liquid is measured so that it is absorbed in its entirety when the potatoes and pasta are soft. Cream and coarsely grated cheese are then added and the mixture is left to stand for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. The dish is then sprinkled with fried onions, and traditionally served with the accompaniment of apple compote.

The dish has regional variations: In some areas, strips of ham, roasted bacon or cervelat are added.^[6] In the canton of Uri, the potatoes are omitted. In the canton of Obwalden, Älplermagronen are also called Hindersi-Magronen^[7] (due to the order of preparation in the Obwalden recipe, "Hindersi" meaning "backwards" in Swiss German). In French-speaking Switzerland, the Macaronis du chalet are a very similar dish but sometimes without the potatoes.^[8]^[9]

Popularity

As an easy-to-cook and filling dish, Älplermagronen are a popular choice in Scout circles and in the Swiss Military menu.

Älplermagronen are often cooked and served in mountain huts or mountain restaurants. Älplermagronen are also sold as ready meal in supermarkets.

A similar dish, macaroni and cheese, popular in North America and the United Kingdom, might have been derived from Älplermagronen.^[5]

References

^ Gronau, Stefanie (2022). Nudeln & Pasta! Das Goldene von GU. Gräfe Und Unzer. p. 141. Wie gut, dass italienische Arbeiter ihre gewohnte Pasta ins schweizerische Alpenland mitgebracht haben. Zusammen mit einheimischen Kartoffeln gekocht, verfeinert mit Rahm und Käse ergab sie das beliebte Schweizer Sennengericht, das fix zubereitet ist und speziell bei schwerer Arbeit gut sättigt. Und da man in der Schweiz alles ein bisschen anders ausspricht, wurden die Maccheroni zu Magronen. [It is a good thing that Italian workers brought their usual pasta to the Swiss Alps. Cooked together with local potatoes, refined with cream and cheese, it resulted in the popular Swiss alpine dish, which is quickly prepared and is particularly filling when working hard. And since everything is pronounced a little differently in Switzerland, the maccheroni became magronen.]
^ "Die Urner? Die Obwaldner? Oder gar die Italiener? Wer hat die Älplermagronen erfunden?". Blick. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023. Den Durchbruch der berühmten Teig-Röhren in der Schweiz vermochte damals allerdings weder das eine noch das andere herbeizuführen. Schafften dies die italienischen Gastarbeiter, die beim Bau des ersten Gotthardtunnels in den 1870er-Jahren involviert waren, wie es eine landläufige Meinung besagt? Es ist eine populäre These, doch Experten sind skeptisch. [At that time, however, neither one nor the other was able to bring about the breakthrough of the famous dough tubes in Switzerland. Did the Italian guest workers involved in the construction of the first Gotthard tunnel in the 1870s manage this, as popular belief has it? It's a popular theory, but experts are skeptical.]
^ ^a ^b "Hörnli / Cornettes / Cornetti". Culinary Heritage of Switzerland. Retrieved 8 January 2023. Le célèbre Maestro Martino, cuisinier du 15ème siècle dans les cours des puissants de l'époque, en Italie, propose des recettes à base de pâtes dans son ouvrage intitulé Libro de arte coquinaria: on y trouve des " maccaroni romaneschi, maccaroni in altro modo, maccaroni siciliani e vermicelli " (macaronis à la romaine, macaronis d'une autre manière, macaronis siciliens et vermicelles). Maestro Martino était d'origine tessinoise (Val di Blenio) mais il avait exercé sa profession en Italie. [The famous Maestro Martino, cook of the 15th century in the courts of the powerful of the time, in Italy, proposes recipes based on pasta in his book entitled Libro de arte coquinaria: there are " maccaroni romaneschi, maccaroni in altro modo , maccaroni siciliani e vermicelli " (Roman-style macaroni, macaroni in another way, Sicilian macaroni and vermicelli). Maestro Martino was originally from Ticino (Val di Blenio) but he had practiced his profession in Italy.]
^ "Libro de arte coquinaria : La modernità del ricettario di Maestro Martino". Radiotelevisione svizzera. Retrieved 9 January 2023. Martino è innovatore anche con la pasta, ma i suoi maccheroni sono conditi con burro, parmigiano, spezie dolci, raccomandando tra l'altro che la pasta sia "ben cotta"! [Martino is also an innovator with pasta, but his macaronis are seasoned with butter, parmesan, sweet spices, recommending, among other things, that the pasta should be "well cooked"!]
^ ^a ^b ^c Adam H Graham (31 January 2018). "Macaroni cheese's mysterious origins". BBC. Retrieved 8 January 2023. Two years after that, according to Imhof's book, Switzerland's first pasta factory opened in 1838 in Lucerne. And finally, according to Imhof, the world's first commercial production of macaroni as we know it today – the short, hollow, hörni-shaped elbow – was not in Italy, but in Switzerland in 1872. Add to this a Swiss cheese production and export culture that dates back millennia, and it's certainly possible that the first real macaroni cheese with hollow elbow noodles was served in Switzerland.
^ Älplermagronen mit Cervelat are served on www.älplermagronen.ch. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
^ "Älplermagronen "Hindersi"". GaultMillau.
^ "Macaronis de chalet". Terroir Fribourg. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
^ "Macaroni du chalet et compote de pommes". SwissMilk. Retrieved 8 January 2023.