Where to eat Rosti in Zurich: 3 editor picks

Coarsely grated potato pressed and pan-fried in butter until a deep golden crust forms. Switzerland's national starch, eaten under Geschnetzeltes or with sausage and onions.

Rosti began as a working breakfast in Bern in the nineteenth century, made with the leftover boiled potatoes that farm families kept on the stove. By the early twentieth century it had crossed the linguistic Roestigraben to become the standard accompaniment for German-Swiss meat dishes, particularly Zuercher Geschnetzeltes. Some Zurich kitchens insist on using waxy potatoes boiled the day before; others go straight from raw with floury varieties. Both schools have their defenders. The Bern variation includes diced bacon and onion in the cake; the Zurich version stays pure potato.