Nature, landscape and climate have always shaped the hearty recipes of Engadine cuisine. No one knows this better than the chef Dumeng Giovanoli from Sils. In the sixties he was one of the world's best ski racers and won against Karl Schranz and Jean-Claude Killy. He then moved from the slopes to the kitchen. For more than 30 years he pampered his guests in the family-owned Pension Privata (today Hotel Privata).

Dumeng Giovanoli has continued the centuries-old tradition of Engadine cuisine, refining its specialties. A special inspiration for him was the handwritten cookbook of his ancestors. It was created around 1817 - at a time when the culinary arts and the art of healing were still working eagerly together.

In simplicity lies the power

Dumeng Giovanoli comments on the cooking culture of his ancestors: «From the ingredients, most of which came from the valley, the women created dishes in the kitchen that were filling, gave a lot of energy and tasted very good at the same time.» 
He has remained true to this culture. And so his Engadine cuisine is also always a tribute to a cuisine that was completely in harmony with nature and its meager riches.

For the palate, for the eyes

Gian Giovanoli, Dumeng's son, also learned to be a cook. Today he is a renowned photographer who is able to capture his Engadine homeland in pictures like no other. So what could be more obvious than for «bap & figl» - father & son - to dedicate a very special cookbook to the Engadine? While the Bap reveals the secrets of his cooking, the figl shows what it means to be rooted and at home in Sils. Through him we get to know an Engadine nature that is wild and overwhelming, poetic and unique.

Journey of discovery in 152 recipes

«Working on 'bap & figl' was a journey through space and time. We discovered and remembered many a story from our family. Sils is an experience with all sense» says Gian Giovanoli. The result is a work of art that tells a very special love story in 152 recipes and unique photos on 332 pages.

A little Engadine kitchen Latin

• capuns Cabbage wraps in chard leaves
• gnocs d’ardöffels Potato gnocchi
• canedels da chaschöl Cheese dumplings
• maluns Roasted potato crumb
• tatsch Schmarren
• schoppa da nozzas Engadine wedding soup
• scuflo da pulenta Polenta casserole
• torta da nusch Nut cake

Typical Engadine recipe to recreate

plain in pigna - potato cake

• 600 g floury potatoes
• 80 g smoked bacon cubes
• 60 g each carrots, leeks and celeriac
• 15 g butter
• 15 g butter flakes
• 2 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 dl whole cream
• 15 g butter
• Salt, grated nutmeg
• and pepper from the mill

Peel the potatoes, grate 2/3 of them with a rösti grater and the rest with a bircher grater. Cut the vegetables into fine strips. Sauté the bacon and onions in butter, add the vegetables and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes and the cream, season with salt, nutmeg and pepper and mix well. Line a cake pan about 25 cm in diameter with buttered baking paper. Spread the mixture in it and spread the butter flakes on top, press well and seal with the buttered aluminum foil. Bake the whole thing in the oven preheated to 200 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and turn the Plain in Pigna out onto a cutting board and remove the baking foil. Cut the whole into pieces of any size. Then place the pieces again on the baking tray lined with baking paper and keep warm in the oven at 80 degrees.

This recipe comes from the book «bap & figl»

Tips to experience Engadine cuisine

• Cookbook and more
  «bap e figl» is more than a cookbook, more than a picture book - it is family, it is home, it is enjoyment. Ideal as a gift or souvenir of Sils. To buy on www.giangiovanoli.com
• Visit to a restaurant in Sils
  Sils has many highly recommended restaurants to offer. Choose from the whole assortment at www.sils.ch/restaurants. For Engadine specialties, look for the addition of «local specialties».
• Dumeng Giovanoli at the stove
  Il bap is still busy at the stove in the Hotel Privata. A table for out-of-town guests can also be booked in advance.
• Ingredients from Sils / Fex / Bregaglia
  The ingredients in the Hofladen Butietta in Sils could not be more local. The selection of homemade products is perfectly complemented by local producers, such as meat from the organic farm or nut cake from Val Fex.