Bern Baby Bern – FLAMMEKUECHE

Bern Switzerland

As our train rolled into Bern Switzerland I was trying to get a good look at the Aar River which protects the old town on three sides. Today, the river attracts many townspeople for a leisurely float/swim downstream on a hot summer day.

Hairy or leisurely

Strong swimmers only

As the locals told us, strong swimmers only should take the plunge. Being a strong swimmer and a former lifeguard (ya really!) I was up for the challenge but Nat was definitely not and remembering the buddy system (as well as the weather being cold and wet) I decided that I would leave it for the next visit.

Altes Tram Depot

Instead, we headed for the comfort of a great brewpub overlooking the river. The Altes Tram Depot was named after the former tram station it now inhabits. It had been recommended to us for its decent prices and excellent beer, we were not disappointed. 

Breakfast for dinner

We both ordered a large wheat beer to wash down a potato roesti topped with ham, a fried egg and Gruyère cheese, that we shared as a late lunch/early dinner.
I had been craving bacon and eggs for a while and this was the closest thing yet, so it was breakfast for dinner.

The town’s namesake

Directly in front of the pub, on a steep slope going down to the river, there was a large enclosure housing a family of brown bears (the town’s namesake). They provided us with some entertainment watching them play in the water as we continued across the bridge into the old town.

Enamoured

Sauntering through the streets, window shopping, we were enamoured with the lovely architecture and pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood. 

Stained glass

Zytglogge

Earlier in the day, we checked out Bern’s 13th-century medieval clock tower, over the years the Zytglogge has served as a guard tower, prison and center of urban life. Every hour, while ringing, it sets into motion an array of characters in traditional Swiss style. The crowd grew as the hour approached but since it was only one o’clock the show was short. Travelers tip, go at eleven or twelve for the full show.

Clouds disappeared

As the sun started to set, the clouds disappeared which allowed us to wander comfortably into the corners of the old town and down some quieter streets. The quiet came to an abrupt end when we rounded a corner and found ourselves walking into what seemed to be a very random crowd of locals.  

Jazz festival

It was Bern’s annual jazz festival and we arrived two minutes before a very Swiss seven-piece (mostly brass and horns) band lit up the small courtyard venue. Their music was something we have never experienced before and sounded like a marching, Latin, klezmer, jazz, funk band (?).

The crowd was moving

Although the band was great and the crowd was moving to their groove, we were both distracted by the smoke and action coming from the sole food vendor in one corner of the courtyard. Looking around we soon discovered what he was pumping out, flammekueche (tarte flambée in French)! Flammekueche is Alsatian pizza, a super thin crusted pie covered with a thick sour cream, sautéed onions, bacon and Gruyère cheese. It is served at virtually every restaurant in Alsace and like pizza most are average and few are exceptional.

Flammekueche

It is frequently modified into a Mexican or Italian flammekueche with the addition of other ingredients (similar to Québec’s poutine) but that just wrecks what is a simple yet delicious preparation. As we weaved our way through the crowd, closer to the source, we could see that this stand could have the makings of something exceptional.  The chef and helper were both dressed in

Chef and helper

The chef and helper were both dressed in old-school tunics and were moving at a frantic pace to keep up with the growing line. In the middle of the stand was a triple level wood-fired oven that had a raging fire going on in the bottom, heat radiating out ten feet.

Rolling out the dough

The helper was busy rolling out the dough while the chef would quickly whip three of them onto a black steel pan, dress them and then rifle them into the first level of the smoking hot oven. That tray would eventually be moved up to the second level when the next set of three was prepared and ready, then spun end to end and returned to the top level to finish.  

Tart after tart

Every level always had a tray going in it as they churned out tart after tart. The finished tray was reefed from the oven where they were transferred to a bar carved out of a log, cut into four and put on a plate. Start to finish it took about four or five minutes for him to deliver a piping hot flammekueche licked by hardwood flames and smoke.

Tarte flambée

With a piping hot tarte flambée and a frosty cold pint, we staked out our place in the crowd and dug in. Crispy and creamy with savory ham and onion, you could taste the smoke from the fire. Washing it down with a swig of beer and grooving to the music, we were digging the Swiss style and so was the crowd.

Crank up your oven and try my recipe for the Alsatian pizza, tarte flambée.