Happy World Vegetarian Day!! In observation, NPR had a story today about the 115-year-old Zurich restaurant Hiltl, “the world’s oldest continually operating vegetarian restaurant,” and its founders, early customers, and latest offerings.
“This gang founded Zurich’s Vegetarians’ Home and Teetotaller Cafe in 1898. Ambrosius Hiltl bought the joint and changed the name in 1903.” NPR.
The details about its early days struck me for how they touch on both Astrov (in terms of the atypical choice to go meatless at that time) and the Professor (in terms of vegetarianism being offered as a medical treatment for various ailments like rheumatism).
“The first several years, people entered Hiltl through the backdoor,” says Peter Vauthier, the head of Hiltl guest relations.
The Swiss, you see, have long been a pretty meat-loving bunch. “If you didn’t eat meat, it meant you had no money,” he says. Vegetarianism, in other words, was kind of a badge of shame.
But that didn’t deter Ambrosius Hiltl. Back in the 19th century, the Bavarian cobbler was working in Zurich when he adopted a vegetarian diet to alleviate joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis. The advice came from a doctor who followed the school of thought that a diet of raw vegetables, fruit and nuts could heal most ailments. That was an idea popularized by Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician and nutritional theorist best known for inventing muesli.
Lucky for Hiltl, Zurich had an option for budding vegetarians like him: the Vegetarians’ Home and Teetotaller Café, which had opened its doors in 1898. Not exactly the kind of name that draws crowds, but Hiltl nonetheless became a frequent diner. Eventually, he decided to buy the joint. Hence, Hiltl — a Zurich institution — was born.
The original menu may have been vegetarian, but it wasn’t especially healthful. Dishes were essentially regular recipes served without meat. Potatoes, rice and flour-based foods featured heavily, […]
The original vegetarian restaurant had been in business for five years before Hiltl took over in 1903, continuing to serve a motley — and largely female — clientele. The meatless menu attracted artists and writers, as well as those with ailing health and the religiously observant.
100+ years later, the restaurant has become one of Switzerland’s largest restaurants seating over 500 on three floors with a bar, nightclub, and cooking classes for patrons. Of course its popularity has meant a return to some of those unhealthful offerings before Hiltl took over in 1903:
Many of [today’s] Hiltl customers aren’t vegetarian. They just like the concept of an international buffet with fresh, quality food served in a trendy environment, which also explains why some of Hiltl’s unhealthiest fare is the most popular. One top seller: meatless Zürich Geschnetzeltes with Rösti, a typical Swiss dish usually made with small pieces of veal and mushrooms in a cream sauce, served with crispy potatoes.
The story doesn’t give the calorie count for the meatless version, but the average for the traditional recipe averages about 500 total calories with 300 of those coming from fat. But at least it continues to be one of the few fully Kosher, high-end restaurants in the city. Field trip anyone?
“Today, Hiltl features more than 100 items on its vast buffet.”
