Bürli of Zürich

No, it's not all gloom and doom, there are things that cheer me up. Of course, my deriously beloved Toño tops the list. He and the nasty weather made it possible to have a double pleasure of a special kind in one day. Yesterday, I enjoyed both a Bürli by Buchmann for lunch and a Bürli by Gold for dinner.

The ones not living in the vicinity of the center of the known and unknown universe (exactly, it's Zürich) might think What is this weirdo talking about?. Let me explain: There are duopoly constellations in this world, e.g. think Pepsi vs Coca-Cola in soft drink market or Airbus vs Boeing in commercial jet aircraft market. Here in Zürich we have Buchmann and Gold in the Bürli market. Actually since 1910, when Gold joined the market one year after Buchmann.

A Bürli is a bread roll with a very hard crust. If you eat a good Bürli, your jaw hurts and there are bread crumbs all over the place. It also helps if they are made in a wood-fired oven. The higher temperature gives the extraordinary taste.



On the left, you can see a Bürli by Buchmann, which my caring employer sells in our canteen. I'm a late luncher and there is always the danger that they are sold out. Due to the nasty weather, less people take a salad for lunch, which increases my changes for a lunch with Bürli.

On the right, you can see a Bürli by Gold. Toño suggested to drop by at the Sternen Grill* for some sausages with Bürli. We went for both Cervelat and Bratwurst, which gave me three Bürli in one day!

Which one is better? For me, it's the Gold, it's texture is unbeatable and the jaw hurts a tiny bit bit more. Would I select the right one in a Pepsi Challenge? I think so.

* Paris has the Eiffel Tower, London the Queen, San Franzisco the Golden Gate Bridge and Zürich the Sternen Grill. It's a place where you can come in swimming attire or directly from the opera, nobody raises an eyebrow. However, the legend is that if you asked for knife and fork, the sausage chef points over the river and says the Baur au Lac is over there.