SWISS takes Canton Ticino’s dolce vita aloft

Swiss International Air Lines will be putting the culinary spotlight on Canton Ticinothis spring. In the latest instalment of the airline’s award-winning “SWISS Taste ofSwitzerland” programme, SWISS Business and SWISS First passengers on alllong-haul flights from Switzerland will enjoy tasty special meals from theRistorante Boutique Hotel Tentazioni and the Ristorante Da Enzo, two of thecanton’s finest restaurant addresses, for the next three months. As a furthergastronomic attraction, May will bring the latest “SWISS Traditions” feature forEuropean flights, which will focus on the “Palio di Mendrisio” Ticinese custom.

For the latest chapter of its “SWISS Taste of Switzerland” programme, SWISS will bepresenting selected meals by Andreas Schwab of the Ristorante Boutique HotelTentazioni and Andrea Cingari of the Ristorante Da Enzo aboard its flights from 4 Marchto 2 June. The two chefs are among the best in Canton Ticino, and will be offering SWISSBusiness and SWISS First travellers on long-haul flights from Switzerland inspiredculinary creations that deftly combine top local ingredients with Mediterranean accents.

SWISS Business customers will enjoy the offerings of Michelin-starred chef AndreasSchwab of the Ristorante Boutique Hotel Tentazioni in Cavigliano. His special SWISScreations include a salmon trout tartare with horseradish cream for starters, followed by amain course of braised shoulder of lamb with Vallemaggia bread dumpling, all rounded offwith an unusual take on the traditional tiramisù dessert.

SWISS First guests, meanwhile, will be treated to the concoctions of the 16-GaultMillau-point Ristorante Da Enzo in Ponte Brolla. These include a starter of tuna tartare and kingprawn with mango salsa or cream of asparagus soup with black truffle, a main course oflamb chops with herb crust or pike-perch with Prosecco and yuzu sauce, and for desserta special “Iced Coffee Da Enzo” of amaretti meringata with espresso ice cream andalmond tuile.

SWISS’s First and Business Class wine selections will also be putting a stronger emphasis on Ticino wines during these three months, with choice reds and whites from Switzerland’s southernmost canton. SWISS Business customers will be offered a Cuvée 3 from the Tamborini estate in Lamone, while SWISS First guests can enjoy a “Quattromani” Merlot that has been co-produced by four of the canton’s top winegrowers.

Ticino customs on European flights, too

In addition to the new Southern-Swiss culinary delights on its long-haul services, SWISSwill also be looking to Canton Ticino for its next “SWISS Traditions” feature for BusinessClass travellers on selected European flights. The latest Swiss custom to be highlightedhere will be May’s annual “Palio di Mendrisio”, in which the various quarters of the Ticinotown participate in a donkey race. To mark the event, SWISS will be serving a breadsalad with Parma ham, artichoke and orange between 13 and 26 May. On longer flightstravellers will be treated to osso buco with polenta or a wild garlic risotto with greenasparagus, followed by a Ticino-style tiramisù.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is Switzerland’s national airline, serving over 100 destinations in 43 countries from Zurich and Geneva and carrying some 16.5 million passengers a year with its 91-aircraft fleet. The company’s Swiss WorldCargo division provides a comprehensive range of airport-to-airport airfreight services for high-value and care-intensive consignments to some 130 destinations in over 80 countries. As “The Airline of Switzerland”, SWISS embodies the country’s traditional values, and is committed to delivering the highest product and service quality. With its workforce of over 9,000 personnel, SWISS generated total operating income of some CHF 5 billion in 2016. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group, and is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline grouping.