Swiss cooking

Bircher Muesli (Swiss Overnight Oats)

Rolled oats soaked overnight in yogurt, milk, and apple juice with freshly grated apple and a squeeze of lemon, then topped in the morning with fresh fruit, nuts, and a drizzle of honey. This is the original overnight oats — developed by Swiss physician Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner around 1900 for patients at his Zurich clinic, where raw fruit was considered therapeutic. Unlike modern overnight oats, which are about the oats, Bircher muesli is about the apple: the grated fruit softens and blends into the oats overnight and becomes the flavor of the whole dish.