The idea is that around 1836, when cholera made its way into Switzerland, rather than leaving the house and risking infection, when it came to preparing meals people made do with what they had on hand – typically, apples, pears, potatoes, onions, leeks, raclette cheese and a specific type of local bacon (all of which store well for months if kept in a cool place) and the ingredients to whip up a pastry crust.
There Are Different Names For The Pie ...
Today, the pie is also referred to as Gomser Cholera, Goms being the rustic back valley in the rugged mountainous canton of Valais where the dish originated. But mention Gomser or Cholera Pie to most Swiss and you’ll get a puzzled look: most haven’t got a clue what it is, although it is mentioned on the Swiss national tourism office’s website as a specialty of Valais and, as might be expected, the Goms tourism office features it on its site as well and includes a recipe.
Perhaps not surprisingly the few home cooks who’ve posted their recipes for the dish on the Internet have changed the name of the pie, baptizing it for example Swiss Onion and Potato Pie or Potato Cheese Pie and leaving out the word cholera.
... And There Are Many Variations Of Cholera Pie
As befits a dish that was originally a way of making an appetizing meal out of whatever you had on hand in the kitchen, there are many different recipes for the pie. Recipes are passed down from mother to daughter in Goms families, and very jealously guarded. Some recipes leave out the bacon (Cholera Pie makes a great vegetarian option). Others omit the leeks and onions, still others the pears.
Slices of cold Cholera Pie are sold in bakery shops in the Goms area. A slice with or without a small green salad to accompany it makes a light meal all by itself. Some chefs (yes, Cholera Pie is also available in restaurants, locally or occasionally elsewhere around Switzerland where there is a relatively fast-growing revival of interest in traditional, authentic Swiss recipes) serve slices hot or cold as starters followed by something like a typical Valais lamb dish seasoned with saffron – saffron being another relatively little known product of the agriculturally rich Swiss canton that is Valais.
Valais is also Switzerland’s largest wine-producing canton, and locally produced wine makes an ideal partner for Cholera Pie.
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