Bundner Nusstorte

The Nusstorte is a closed pie of firm shortcrust filled with walnuts in caramel and cream, and its qualities follow from its purpose: it keeps for weeks without refrigeration and travels without damage, which mattered in a canton whose people emigrated as confectioners across Europe and came back with recipes and ideas. It is generally credited to Engadin bakers in the early twentieth century, with Fanconi in Samedan often named, though several claims exist and the origin is not firmly settled. Walnuts were an imported ingredient in a place that grows none, which is itself a mark of the emigrant trade. It is sold everywhere in Graubunden and travels home in a box as the standard souvenir.

What you actually see

• Walnuts in caramel under shortcrust - a closed pie, firm enough to travel.
• Keeping for weeks - the quality that made it a journey food.
• An emigrant confectioners' canton - the trade that shaped the recipe.
• A contested origin - Engadin bakers in the early 1900s, no single claim settled.

When to go

All year. A coffee stop, or a box to take away.

Honest expectations

It is extremely rich and sweet - a slice goes a long way. Quality varies widely between industrial and artisan versions; the supermarket ones are noticeably drier. Walnut allergies are an obvious issue.

Nearby

Samedan, St Moritz and the Engadin villages are the traditional home.