What used to be considered a boring diet food is now available in a wide variety of variations and reinterpretations on our breakfast tables. No wonder, because this power breakfast not only tastes good, but also gives you lots of energy for your day.
Bircher muesli is currently a must-have on the menu of any good breakfast restaurant and is back in vogue – and rightly so, in our opinion! Yet muesli has a long tradition.
Here you can find out everything you need to know about this classic muesli. In this article, we explain why Bircher muesli is so healthy, how it was created, how you can make it yourself at home and much more.
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What is Bircher muesli?
Did you know that Bircher muesli is made from only four ingredients and was originally eaten as an evening meal? The original Bircher muesli consists of oat flakes, nuts and apples, softened in a little milk.
This simple mixture was discovered more than 120 years ago by a Swiss doctor named Maximilian Bircher-Benner. He is said to have been served the oat dish by a dairymaid in an alpine hut.
Due to its healthy effects, Bircher-Benner recommended it to his patients as a diet food. He himself simply called his muesli creation ‘apple diet food’ or ‘d Spys’, which is Swiss German for ‘the food’.
Bircher muesli then and now
In the past, Bircher muesli was not eaten for breakfast as is common today, but in the evening. Bircher-Benner wanted to introduce his patients to a balanced diet with fresh fruit.
Today, Bircher muesli is available in many different variations and flavours. Constantly reinterpreted, the dish is enjoying renewed popularity and is a welcome classic on the breakfast table.
Why is it called Bircher muesli?
Bircher muesli owes its name to its discoverer, Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner. The Swiss doctor was a pioneer in wholefood nutrition in his day. The focus was on fresh and unprocessed foods and whole grains.
As a proponent of a vegetarian raw food diet, he believed that the most important ingredient in muesli was not oats, but apples grated with their skin and core.
Make your own Bircher muesli
You can easily make the original Bircher muesli, as well as trendy versions of the original diet muesli, at home. Here is the traditional Bircher muesli recipe:
For Bircher muesli (4 servings) you will need:
- 16 tablespoons oat flakes
- 600 ml milk
- 1 lemon
- 4 apples
- 4 tablespoons grated hazelnuts
Here's how it works:
You need to start preparing the Bircher muesli the day before. It is important to soak the flakes in a bowl of water overnight. It is best to put them in the fridge so that they stay nice and fresh. In the morning, you can take the oatmeal out of the fridge and stir in the milk.
For the original Bircher muesli, the whole apple must be finely grated, including the seeds and core. However, you can simply leave out the seeds if you prefer.
Now all you have to do is mix the grated apples and hazelnuts with the porridge. Finally, add a dash of lemon juice and your original Bircher muesli is ready to enjoy.
Toppings and variations
Of course, you can also vary the recipe and add different nuts ( cashews) or fruits. Dried fruit, coconut flakes or various seeds such as flax seeds or chia seeds are also particularly suitable as toppings. Try out different variations and decide what you like best. Instead of milk, try yoghurt or fruit juice.
For a vegan version, simply replace the milk with plant-based milk. You can easily make various plant-based drinks yourself, such as oat milk, almond milk or cashew milk. This also adds variety to your breakfast.
If you're in a hurry, you can also use ready-made mixes, such as our Verival Bircher Urkorn Muesli. You can prepare it either cold or warm.
For the cold version, it is best to mix it with a little milk, yoghurt or quark and fresh fruit. For a warm breakfast, simply bring milk or water to the boil and let the muesli soak in it for 10 minutes. Done! Verival also offers the original muesli as a porridge variant.
Is Bircher muesli healthy?
Its Swiss inventor Maximilian Bircher-Benner was certainly convinced that Bircher muesli was healthy. But is this breakfast dish really as healthy as people think? – That always depends on the ingredients used in the muesli.
Let's take a closer look at the basic ingredients: oats, apples and hazelnuts.
Oatmeal keeps you feeling full for a long time
Oats are not only healthy, they are also celebrated as a superfood. In the form of oatmeal, they form the basis of Bircher muesli. Thanks to their high fibre content, oats keep you feeling full for a particularly long time. This is why oatmeal is also recommended for weight loss, as it satisfies hunger for a long time and thus prevents cravings.
Oatmeal also helps with digestive problems and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. This effect comes from the beta-glucans (a specific type of fibre) contained in oats.
Eating oatmeal is also said to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, lipid metabolism disorders and heart disease. Oats are a low-gluten grain and are therefore usually well tolerated by people with gluten intolerance.
Apples provide vitamins and energy
There's a reason why they say ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’. Apples contain a range of healthy ingredients such as fibre, important vitamins and minerals. Among other things, apples contain vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E and vitamin C. Most of these (around 70%) are found in the skin, which is why you should never peel them.
Apples are also a source of trace elements and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Like oatmeal, apples support our digestion and help lower cholesterol levels. The fructose provides you with quick energy in the morning.
Hazelnuts increase concentration
At first glance, hazelnuts are real calorie bombs. But if you take a closer look, the fats contained in hazelnuts turn out to be very healthy. They are unsaturated fatty acids, which have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.
The nuts are also particularly rich in protein. They are the perfect source of protein, especially for vegetarians and vegans. The lecithin they contain also boosts memory and concentration. Hazelnuts are therefore considered a real brain food and help our brain perform at its best first thing in the morning.
How many calories are there in Bircher muesli?
It is not easy to say exactly how many calories Bircher muesli has. Depending on the ingredients you use, the nutritional values in your muesli will of course vary. Calculate your calorie requirements now with the free calorie calculator from Verival.
