"Picture corn tortillas stuffed with delicious, savory chicken. A creamy salsa verde made of sour cream, tomatillos, serrano and poblano peppers, garlic, cumin, and cilantro is ladled over them. Then a generous portion of Manchego, Oaxaca, or mozzarella cheese is melted over the top. That's enchiladas suizas or, in English, Swiss enchiladas. But how does a traditional Mexican dish end up named after Switzerland? The answer is more mysterious than you might think."
"There are competing theories about the origins of enchiladas suizas. In one version of the tale, the enchiladas were developed by the chef at Sanborns Cafe in Mexico City in 1950. The "Swiss" part of the name came from the meal's abundance of dairy, reflecting Swiss cuisine's reputation for using dairy products. Ironically, Swiss cheese isn't among the ingredients. The rest may seem reasonable enough, but is it true?"
"Mexico welcomed many Swiss immigrants who also influenced the dairy industry in the country. The first arrived in the mid-1840s, and there is a strong Swiss community in Mexico even today. A Swiss chef developing a recipe at a major retailer, merging the cuisines of Switzerland and Mexico, would have had a strong chance of getting the idea to catch on with local diners. The place was already well known, which would have helped the dish gain popularity."
Enchiladas suizas consist of corn tortillas stuffed with savory chicken, covered in a creamy salsa verde made from sour cream, tomatillos, serrano and poblano peppers, garlic, cumin, and cilantro, then topped with melted Manchego, Oaxaca, or mozzarella cheese. The name 'suizas' associates the dish with Switzerland because of its heavy use of dairy, though Swiss cheese is not a typical ingredient. One origin story credits a Swiss-born chef at Sanborns Cafe in Mexico City around 1950, while other accounts link the dish to Swiss immigrants who influenced Mexico's dairy industry and culinary fusion.
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