Röstigraben
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Röstigraben (German pronunciation:
The term first appeared during
Etymology
The first part of the term is derived from the Swiss German name for hashed potatoes, rösti, which originated in the canton of Bern and is considered typical of Swiss German cuisine.[2]
Graben has both the concrete and abstract meaning of "rift", with the Saane/Sarine river valley in the bilingual canton of Fribourg separating the linguistic areas. The Swiss-French use a similar expression: barrière de rös(ch)ti, literally "rösti barrier", or rideau de rös(ch)ti "rösti curtain" (reminiscent of the Iron Curtain). Just like Röstigraben it has become a familiar facetious expression used whenever differences arise, e.g. different voting results.
Definition
Geographically the line stretches from the
By analogy, the term Polentagraben is used to refer to cultural and political differences between Italian-speaking Ticino and German-speaking Switzerland.[3] The canton of Ticino is seen as having a tougher stance towards migrant workers and a greater attachment to the notion of Swissness.[4]
See also
- Languages of Switzerland
- Culture of Switzerland
- Weißwurstäquator, which, similar to the Röstigraben, represents the Bavarian-German Kulturgrenze (Culture Border).
- Barassi Line
Notes
- ^ Franciolli, Riccardo (12 April 2022). "In Svizzera i confini sono fatti di patate e polenta". TVSvizzera (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-10-13.
- ^ "Rösti". Switzerland Tourism. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ Jankovsky, Peter (2 July 2013). "Der Polentagraben lockt". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. NZZ.ch. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ Bradley, Simon (6 October 2014). "The evolving Swiss identity: 1964-2014". swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
Further reading
- Büchi Christophe: Röstigraben. Buchverlag NZZ. Zürich, 2001. ISBN 3-85823-940-2.