Bircher muesli was first produced around the year 1900 and has been particularly popular on breakfast tables ever since. It is a mix of a cereal mix with fruit. The oat flakes, which are an essential part of muesli, are soaked beforehand.
The inventor of muesli was Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner. This muesli looks back on a long tradition and has been adapted several times in the past. It is very popular worldwide and is eaten for breakfast in many countries.
Bircher muesli for breakfast – find out more!
Who is Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner?
Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, or Max Bircher-Benner for short, was the inventor and developer of Bircher muesli. He lived from 1867 to 1939 and had four siblings. Max Bircher-Benner was a Swiss doctor who showed an interest in medicine from an early age.
He studied in Zurich and graduated in medicine. After his studies, he opened his own practice in 1891. In the following years, he was a sought-after doctor and took on patients with all kinds of problems. He married the daughter of a pharmacist, Elisabeth Benner, a little later.
He developed one of the most famous Swiss dishes, Bircher muesli, in 1900. He invented the muesli after he had no suitable medicine when treating a patient.
He had a total of seven children with his wife Elisabeth. Some of his children became doctors like him. He also treated private patients in a clinic he and a business partner founded, the ‘Centralbad’.
In addition to his work as a doctor, he also published several papers in which he mainly discussed healthy nutrition.
The therapeutic concept of Bircher-Benner
The raw food diet by Bircher-Benner
The raw food diet is based on a case in which a seriously ill woman came to his practice. There was no suitable remedy to help her, so the situation was quite critical.
He developed the raw food diet to help the woman and subsequently applied this diet to himself after he was diagnosed with oedema. In the raw food diet, patients initially eat only raw food before switching to a vegan and lactose-free diet.
This was followed by discussions with the opposition, who considered this diet to be unreasonable. Nevertheless, the raw food diet was subsequently used in hospitals and by doctors. Patients suffering from osteoarthritis were prescribed this diet.
Ordnungstherapie
In order to maintain good health, the day of a person following this therapy consisted of a strictly planned day. This therapy consists of a walk before breakfast, gardening, gymnastics and plenty of exercise. The night's rest begins at 9 p.m.
Thomas Mann was one of the people who used this therapy from Bircher-Benner. In a novel, he praised the therapy and spoke out in favour of its effects. In addition to the body, the psyche is also protected and improved.
The modern reception
This reception is connected to the digestion of raw food. Because the Swiss doctor had different knowledge at the time when he published this reception, the reception was refuted a little later. The cell membranes act differently than initially assumed by Bircher-Benner.
The history of Bircher muesli
The importance of oats, which is a major component of muesli, had already been proven several hundred years earlier. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner developed the muesli because he wanted to address different methods than normal doctors for healing patients. He developed the Bircher muesli in 1900. Find out more about ‘ The history of Bircher muesli’.
It consists of soaked oats, grated apple and almonds, among other ingredients. Bircher muesli should be left in the fridge overnight before eating.
Nowadays, chia seeds are often added to the muesli. As a result, it was initially offered mainly by restaurants and cafés in Switzerland, the home country of the doctor. In particular, restaurants offering vegetarian dishes sold the dish. Furthermore, the muesli was also offered in prisons or monasteries.
From the 1950s onwards, more and more müslis were offered for dinner. As a result of its increasing popularity, more and more companies and individuals tried to make slight changes to the recipe of the müslis.
Bircher müslis were offered by some companies with dry mixtures instead of oat flakes. Furthermore, attempts were also made to change the name of the müslis and to have it protected in order to be able to claim possible success for themselves.
What makes Bircher muesli so popular worldwide?
It is eaten for breakfast by people all over the world because, above all, it promises energy for the day. Bircher muesli is a Swiss original and is therefore eaten by many people in Switzerland in particular.
Nowadays, it can be prepared quickly and is therefore suitable for the morning. It is also a healthy breakfast and promises ingredients that are important for nutrition.
Verival, for example, has reinterpreted the original Bircher muesli recipe. The successful new interpretation consists of an ancient grain Bircher muesli and the Verival Bircher Porridge products. These high-quality breakfast varieties are easy to prepare. With your favourite toppings such as fruit, seeds and nuts, you can create your own Bircher breakfast dish.
Verival Bircher muesli – read more now!
