In addition to Absinthe and its Maison in Môtiers, other culinary specialties await you in the Val-de-Travers. In Travers, ham is cooked directly in asphalt, giving it a unique taste. Other meat specialties can be found in the butchers of the valley. Many chocolate makers and confectioners use Absinthe in their products. And despite a tumultuous history between the distillers and the winemakers, excellent Neuchâtel wines are used to create sparkling wines in Môtiers.
To show you all these specialities, Destination Val-de-Travers has set up the Trail Vallon Gourmand, which can be booked directly online.
Ham cooked in Asphalt
The ham cooked in asphalt is a boneless ham weighing between 7.5 and 8.5 kg. It is cooked in a bath of molten asphalt, after being wrapped in greasy paper and flour bags to insulate it from the intense heat. These cooking and packaging methods give it its incomparable flavours.
The history of this peculiar dish goes back to about 1935. On December 4, the miners celebrated Saint Barbara, the patron saint of geologists, firemen and miners. On this occasion, they shared a meal prepared by them in the heart of the Asphalt Mines. Although this tradition gradually disappeared, a butcher from the village of Travers and some miners decided to reintroduce asphalt-cooked ham in the 1970s.
Since the creation of the Café des Mines restaurant in 1991, this now typical dish is served to visitors, usually accompanied by gratin dauphinois and green beans. Between 400 and 500 hams are cooked each season, adding up to 4 to 4.5 tons of ham.
Visit the Asphalt Mines
The Asphalt Mines are open for tours throughout the year. Several tours are available depending on your interests and availability.
Tasting the Ham
The Café des Mines is open every day from April to November and every weekend or by reservation during the winter. Come and taste the asphalt-cooked Ham, or simply opt for a Miners’ Café with a touch of Absinthe. A unique and authentic experience guaranteed!
Buffalo meat and cheese
Buffalo meat and cheese are specific to the Val-de-Travers. It all began in 1999, when the Stähli brothers – based in Travers – imported 20 buffaloes from Asia. They were the first to start breeding buffaloes in French-speaking Switzerland. Over the years, Georges and Daniel observe their animals to meet their needs as best as possible. They spend most of their time outdoors and feed on grass in the summer and hay in the winter.
The Val-de-Travers is home to the largest herd of buffaloes in Switzerland, with almost 350 buffaloes. Their milk, rich in fat, is used to make cheeses with a characteristic taste, such as mozzarella, ricotta, and many others. The meat is used in various forms: hamburgers, dry sausages, steaks, ribs or dried meat are a wide choice of high-quality products.
Where to eat them?
The dairy and meat products of the Stähli brothers can be found in many restaurants in the Val-de-Travers. Consult their menus and make your choice!
Where to find them?
The products of Georges and Daniel Stähli are sold in their farm store: “Le Petit Buffle”. They are also available in small specialized shops, as well as at Manor and Migros in the region under the label “De la région”.
Sparkling wine
In Môtiers, in the heart of the Prieuré St-Pierre, the Mauler family has been creating great sparkling wines since 1829. This art was established by Louis-Edouard and passed down from generation to generation. The sparkling wines of the Mauler family have acquired a reputation for quality and finesse beyond the borders of the valley.
The Mauler family continues to create these sparkling wines with passion and expertise. They are made from grapes matured on the sunny slopes of Lake Neuchâtel, before being carefully transformed into festive sparkling wines.
What to drink it with?
Sparkling wine is a festive wine. And yet, it goes well with everything: appetizers and hors d’oeuvres, poultry and fish, melon and cured meat… and even fondue! Bon appetit!
Where to find it?
The vintages of the Maison Mauler are sold directly at the Prieuré St-Pierre as well as on their website. Certain vintages are also available in various specialized shops as well as in most department stores.
Sweets
Do you have a sweet tooth? Then you’ve come to the right place. The Val-de-Travers is full of chocolate makers and confectioners – with or without local absinthe!
In Fleurier, two chocolate shops welcome you, and you are sure to leave with bags full of goodies: Jacot Chocolaterie and Chocolat Douceur des Fées. A tasting place will open in 2023 in Môtiers.
For their part, Le Panier de la Fée and Au Grenier Gourmand delight the taste buds of young and old with their jams, syrups, and other regional sweets.
Les Glaces de la Ferme, prepared by the Schopfer family in Môtiers since 2006, is also worth a visit. This ice cream made with local products – milk and cream from their own farm, egg yolks from the Ferme des Tourbières in Brot-Plamboz, local fruit for the sorbets and Absinthe from the Val-de-Travers (of course!) – is sure to make your day. The store also sells many other products from the Val-de-Travers.
Les Délices de Toto, which also focuses on local productions, is also worth a visit. They can be found in various establishments in the region, including the Cinéma Colisée in Couvet.
Where to buy them?
These sweets are available for direct sale as well as in local shops and places of discovery of the terroir.
Craft beers
In the valley, two craft breweries have opened their doors since 2016: the Brasserie Artisanale Val-de-Travers and the Brasserie des Fées.
Created by three passionate founders, the Brasserie des Fées was the first craft brewery to open its doors in the Val-de-Travers, in Couvet more precisely. It offers 7 unfiltered beers of different colours (blonde, white, amber and brown).
The Brasserie Artisanale Val-de-Travers was born in 2017 in Buttes from a common passion of 4 friends from the Valle d’Orléans. Currently, 4 beers are marketed: La Goutte (blonde), La Feinteuse (amber), Sanka Coffee (stout) and Apikpik (spicy).
Where to try them?
These beers are to be tasted in the various restaurants of the region. They can also be bought in breweries or local shops and consumed during an aperitif with friends or family.
Where to buy them?
The beers of the Brasserie des Fées and the Brasserie Artisanale Val-de-Travers are available for direct sale or via their online stores. They are also on sale in various specialized shops as well as in several stores in the Val-de-Travers (Discount ABC, Denner).
Regional actors
