The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025: football, bread and diplomacy

Published: 09.04.2025

On the occasion of the UEFA Women's EURO 2025, Bernese bread sommelier Patrik Bohnenblust from Bread à porter is baking Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Icelandic specialities. And invited ambassadors to a tasting to reminisce about their home countries.

Three people look into the camera with a smile. They are standing in a bakery. In front of them - beautifully draped - are Spanish rolls with ham and tomatoes. Behind them is a Spanish scarf. The scene looks cheerful and joyful.

A bakery in the lower part of Bern's old town is making breads that reflect the culinary traditions of the nations represented in the tournament in Bern this summer. To create authentic baked goods, baker Patrik Bohnenblust from Bread à porter wanted to get in touch with the embassies of the participating countries. This is where the International Bern Welcome Desk came into play, contacting the foreign representations. The idea was met with great enthusiasm and the ambassadors even helped Patrik Bohnenblust bake their respective country’s bread speciality. The result was Spanish molletes, Portuguese broas de milho, Icelandic hjónabandssæla and Italian pizze bianche.

Bread and football: it's a match! (no pun intended)

The Women's European Championship in Switzerland – for Patrik Bohnenblust, an occasion that called for something special. Every country has its own specialities: typical, traditional, unmistakable. This diversity gave him an idea: Why not symbolically serve the embassies of the participating countries a piece of home? After all, like football, food also unites people across borders. “Food is emotions, just like sports”, says Bohnenblust.

“Los wies chnusperet” (“Listen to the crunch”)

Portugal and Iceland got involved in the process at the bakery, and the Italian ambassador couldn't stop raving. His recipe is straight from the famous Il Gianfornaio bakery in Rome, of which he has fond memories.

The Portuguese ambassador personally worked the dough for his country’s traditional corn bread together with his wife – in proper style, wearing a fan scarf in the national colours. Much to Patrik Bohnenblust's delight: “Their dedication while kneading was great,” he enthused. When the bread was later sliced, the ambassador paused briefly and said with a smile: “Los wies chnusperet” – a charming description of the sound that the crust made when it was cut.

Three cheerful people are standing in a bakery, kneading dough. The atmosphere is warm and cheerful - everyone is laughing and enjoying the moment together. It feels like a special, communal occasion centred around baking bread.

The Icelandic ambassador was also all in: having travelled all the way from Geneva, he swapped his jacket for a football jersey and mingled with the other bakers. The project was particularly exciting for Iceland, as there is no bakery in Switzerland that sells Icelandic baked goods.

For the preparation of the molletes – soft, white bread rolls made from durum wheat flour – Spanish ambassador Celsa Nuño made a trip to the bakery. She has a special connection to women's football, as Spain is the current football world champion.

While they were kneading, shaping and tasting the traditional treats, lively conversations developed between the ambassadors and the baker about food, culture and, of course, football. The resulting bread creations were deemed delicious – albeit not always easy to make – and the bread sommelier received many heartfelt compliments.

Here to stay

The different culinary specialities are to become part of the Bread à porter product range. “I will be selling the Spanish and Portuguese breads at the weekly farmers’ market – with a little country flag in them”, says Bohnenblust. A delicious way to pass the time until the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 finally begins. The culinary creations will also be served in some Bernese cafés and restaurants: various of them have already expressed interest in the pizza bianca or the molletes.

One thing is for certain: with his passion, craftsmanship and playfulness, Bohnenblust ensures that the Women's EURO will be remembered not only for its sporting highlights, but also for its culinary ones.

Two men clink glasses of wine in a bakery and hold a slice of pizza bianca in their hands. One is the baker, the other the Italian ambassador. The scene is cheerful and convivial.

Fun facts

The Spanish breads required a special type of durum wheat flour that was not easy to come by. Luckily, a miller from Mirchel loved the concept and supplied the right flour for the project.
The oven is supposed to be set to 300 degrees Celsius for the pizza bianca – Patrik Bohnenblust’s can only go up to 260 ...
The International Bern Welcome Desk (IBWD) was responsible for organising the baking ses-sions with the embassies. The IBWD is the official contact and liaison office for the interna-tional community in Bern.