Valais specialties

Valais apricots inspire with their diversity, Valais, Switzerland

Robust wines with mineral notes, cheeses with floral undertones, vitamin-rich fruit and vegetables, characterful salted meats and rare spices – Valais is home to a large number of local specialities that taste simply wonderful.

From the flatlands of the Rhone valley to the mountain pastures, not forgetting the sun-kissed orchards, the canton is a garden of delights where know-how that has been passed down through the generations combines with daring culinary creations to create sheer joy for the taste buds.

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Valais Brand Products

Brandies featuring fine aromas, intensely flavoured fruits, rare spices and golden cereals are the result of thousands of hours of sunshine that turn Valais into a garden full of tasty delights. Skills and knowledge handed down from generation to generation have allowed nature in this mountainous part of the country to be tamed, creating produce of the highest quality. Diversity, flavour, character, authenticity and passion – local products from Valais invite you on a journey of discovery through this unique landscape.

Raw ham, dried meat and dry bacon on a wooden table, Valais Wallis, Schweiz Suisse

Valais meat specialities

In the past, the tough climate in the Alps compelled the natives to store away durable items in order to survive the cold season. And so with the help of the sun, the dry climate, the wind blowing through the Rhone valley and the ingenuity of the shepherds, methods of salting and drying were developed.

Apricots

The emblematic fruit of the canton, the Valais apricot is produced by sun-drenched orchards from Sierre to Martigny. With an attractive reddish-orange colour, a velvety skin and a sweet, acidic flavour, it is one of summer’s indulgent pleasures and is equally at home in both sweet and savoury recipes: tarts, jams, juices, sorbets, stir-fried dishes, tartares and even carpaccios.

Williams pear

Abundant sunshine, a fertile plain and imposing mountains: the terroir and climate of Valais provide the Williams pear with ideal conditions for developing its legendary aroma.

Asparagus

Whether green or white, spring would not be complete without this particular Valais speciality – asparagus, which grows best in the sandy soil of central Valais and the Chablais region.

Saffron

Saffron has been highly popular throughout Europe ever since the Renaissance, and there has been a busy trade in the product. It appears from documentary records that saffron has been used and traded in Switzerland since at least the 15th century. But what about the growing of saffron?

Chestnuts

Chestnuts were once known in Valais as the ‘bread of the poor’. At that time, Valais was the largest producer of chestnuts in Switzerland, along with Ticino. Today, large chestnut groves can still be found in Fully and Mörel

Raclette

According to legend, Léon was the name of the Valais wine-grower who invented Raclette cheese. On a cold day, he warmed up a piece of cheese over an open log fire, rather than eating it raw, and this quintessential Valais delicacy was born.

Rye bread

Rye is the only type of grain which can adapt to extreme climatic conditions (the cold of winter, heavy snowfalls, summer heat and drought) and high altitudes. The key role played by rye bread in meeting the day-to-day nutritional needs of Valais natives is documented as far back as 1209.

Wine

Discover the exceptional mosaic of the different grapes cultivated in Switzerland’s most important wine-making region. Known for the elegance of its grands crus, Valais also plays host to the highest vineyard in Europe.

Valais Brandy AOP

In sunny Valais, Williams pears and apricots develop an intense flavour. This intensity is preserved and transformed by copper-still steam distillation into a clear brandy.

Natural mineral water of Valais

“Blue gold” of the Alps. If Switzerland is “Europe’s reservoir”, as it is often called, Valais is without doubt “Switzerland’s reservoir”.

Point of sale with Valais specialities such as vegetables, fruit, cheese and meat, Valais Wallis Schweiz Suisse

Local products shops

Fruit and vegetables packed with vitamins, crusty bread, delicious cured meat or even cheese and dairy products – find the best Valais has to offer at various outlets selling regional specialities. Get it directly from the producers, order online or enjoy a selection of hampers full of local produce.

carrots, asparagus, apricots, apples, cherries, raspberries, etc. Many delicious fruits and vegetables grow in Valais. Switzerland

Valais seasonal fruits and vegetables calendar

A great many varieties of fruit and vegetables thrive in the Valais soil, leaving barely any gaps in the harvest calendar. Thanks to the calendar, discover month by month the varieties to put on your plat.