Planet Berlin: Heidi's Swiss tapas

Shortly after her birth in Mombasa, Kenya, Jennifer Mulinde-Schmid and her mother, a Ugandan stewardess, moved from the sea to the alps. But although she has spent most of her life in Switzerland, she never lost her Ugandan-Kenyan identity. No wonder she performs as a comedian under the moniker, Schwarze Heidi (Black Heidi), which is also the name of her restaurant.

Mulinde-Schmid’s first gastronomic experience began when she worked as a waitress in a rösti bar in Kreuzberg. When it closed, she became her own boss and began serving food from home, including rösti, of course. The Schwarze Heidi menu reveals the ingredients: "Freshly roasted potatoes, potato starch and a note of nutmeg, marjoram and pepper fried in butter — and nothing else!"

In Schwarze Heidi, Berliners are introduced to the so-called aperitif. Small snacks — not to be confused with starters — are a culinary custom in France and Switzerland. Based on a similar tradition in Spain, where the snacks are called tapas, the Swiss restaurant turns them into 'schwapas,' with the likes of pork tail, mountain cheese or smoked trout cream on the menu.

And what's for dessert? According to the menu, there's only one option, but it's all one could want: Toblerone mousse made from mountains of Swiss Toblerone. The chocolate with honey and almond nougat was invented back in 1908 and is of course a Swiss classic.