Menu Heritage: Cooking with Wild Herbs from the Stelvio Pass

By Andreas Wunderer, Executive Chef

Published on June 18, 2026

In the summer, my menu takes its inspiration from wherever I happen to be. At an altitude of about 1,500 meters, here at the Stilfserjoch, the mountainside is teeming with herbs: clover, young fir shoots, yarrow, sorrel, and wild mint. Most people walk right past them. For me, they’re the starting point for almost every dish during the warmer months.

That’s the essence of Taste the Heights: Alpine precision, Mediterranean soul. Cooking with whatever the mountain has to offer.

Herbs aren't just for decoration

The most common mistake with herbs is to sprinkle them on at the very end, just as a pretty touch of green. Then you can’t taste them. For me, they take center stage. A handful of clover can serve as the base for a sauce. Young Swiss stone pine adds a resinous, woodsy flavor to oil. Fermented blueberries bring a tartness that no vinegar can quite match.

Even cauliflower can be the star

Good vegetables need no excuse and don’t have to play a supporting role. An onion, a head of cauliflower, or a celery root—when prepared properly—can carry an entire course. What matters is the balance of flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.

The Rhythm of the Season

With some producers, I have a relationship where I don’t call and place an order—instead, they tell me what they’ve harvested that day. My job is to turn that into something that tastes good. In the winter, I work with what was pickled and fermented in the summer.

A simple tip for at home

To make sure herbs really taste like herbs: don't overcook them. Most should be added raw or right at the very end, or you can make an oil or a paste out of them. Add salt early in the cooking process, not just to the finished dish.

This style of cooking is what Taste the Heights is all about. If you want to dive deeper into the techniques behind it, check out my newsletter, where I share recipes and step-by-step instructions.