Swiss onion salad
If you cannot be in Bern for the fourth Monday in November, celebrate the Onion Market Day at home with dishes such as this onion salad.
Instructions
- Place onion slices in a bowl, sprinkle onion with salt and pepper. Toss, separating onion slices into rings.
- Cook onion rings and bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until bacon is crisp and onions golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Sir constantly.
- Sprinkle the onion-bacon mixture with flour and stir gently to coat the food, when the flour is absorbed, about 2-4 minutes, add vinegar and sugar. Cook 2-4 more minutes, stirring constantly, and the sauce will thicken. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Garnish with finely chopped chives before serving.
Notes
On market day, the old town in Bern is packed with stalls selling onions and garlic; all artistically plaited. Onion cakes, onion soup, and cheese fondue are traditional dishes on that day. Of course, other vegetables and pottery are also for sale, and there is a fair and a confetti battle for young people.
Visitors can buy confetti on the spot and join in, only be aware the locals had weeks to stock ammunition.
Source
Onions have become an illustrious vegetable in the city of Bern where an Onion Market Day (zibele-märit) takes place every year on the fourth Monday of November.
As legend has it, the first zibele-märit was held in the 15th century for the farmers of nearby Fribourg who had helped to clear the town after a fire and brought onions for the starving Bernese population. The truth is onion market day was probably established later but was linked to the much older Martinmas Fair – a several day long farmers market from medieval times. The onion market became the established first day of this event in the 19th century, and it is the only market day remaining today from the Martinmas Fair.
Food in Europe