Raclette (/rəˈklɛt/, French: [ʁaklɛt] ) is a dish of Swiss[1][2][3] origin, also popular in the other Alpine countries (France, Germany, Austria), based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part, then typically served with boiled potatoes. Raclette cheese is historically a dish originating from the canton of Valais in Switzerland. This cheese from Valais benefits from an AOP.[4] Raclette cheese is also a Swiss-type cheese marketed specifically to be used for this dish.
Raclette is also served as street food, but often with bread instead of potatoes.[5]
History
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Dishes of melted cheese were mentioned in medieval texts from Swiss convents as early as 1291.[6] Melted cheese was originally consumed by peasants in the mountainous Alpine regions of the cantons of Valais and Fribourg (Switzerland), and Savoie and Haute-Savoie (France). It was then known in the German-speaking part of Switzerland as Bratchäs or Bratkäse, "roasted cheese". Traditionally, cow herders carried cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from pastures up in the mountains. In the evening, the cheese would be placed next to a campfire for softening, then scraped onto bread. Melting raclette-type cheese in front of a fire is attested in Valais since 1574. Since 1875, the French term raclette is commonly used for this dish. At the 1909 Cantonal Exhibition of Sion, raclette was promoted as a national dish of Valais. Raclette eventually gained national (and international) popularity from the 1964 National Exhibition.[7]
In Valais, raclette is typically served with potatoes, cornichons (fermented, pickled cucumbers), pickled onions, black tea, other warm beverages, or Fendant wine. A popular French option is to serve it with white wine, such as Savoy wine, but Riesling and pinot gris are also common. Traditionally, it is consumed with black tea, since a warm beverage is considered to improve digestion.[8]
Dish
editRaclette is a dish native to parts of Switzerland. The raclette cheese round is heated, either in front of a fire or by a special machine, then scraped onto diners' plates.[9]
A modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, in which slices of raclette cheese are melted.[7]
- Examples of raclettes
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A half raclette cheese being melted on a wood fire while the other half is being scraped from its melted part in a plate -
Slices of raclette for individual cooking -
A slice of raclette cooked with an individual pan in an electric grill -
Commercially-made petits fours consisting of raclette cheese in boiled potatoes
See also
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- Culinary Heritage of Switzerland
- Fondue, a different Swiss dish based on cheese melted in a pot
References
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- ^ "Raclette". MySwitzerland.com. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
- ^ "Raclette". BBC Food. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
- ^ "Switzerland - Daily life and social customs". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
- ^ "Raclette and cheese experiences | Valais Switzerland". www.valais.ch. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
- ^ Maguire, Mercedes (22 December 2022). "Gluhwein to raclette: The best Christmas markets in Europe". Escape.com.au. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
If you try nothing else, don't miss the raclette cheese stall, where they heat huge half wedges of cheese under an open fire and scrape the melted cheese onto a crunchy baguette roll and top it with bacon.
- ^ "La raclette". Raclette-suisse.ch. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03.
- ^ a b "Raclette du Valais (AOP)". Culinary Heritage of Switzerland (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
Le fait de fondre le fromage devant un feu est également attesté dès 1574 en Valais, de manière particulièrement détaillée, dans un document rédigé par Gaspard Ambuel, dit Collinus, médecin et pharmacien à Sion. Concernant les fromages utilisés, on y apprend qu'ils sont "savoureux, gras, doux et tendres". [...] Le terme « raclette », désignant ce mets au fromage rôti, apparaît en de nombreuses sources écrites en langue française dès 1875, ce qui suggère que le terme est déjà bien connu alors. [...] En 1909, elle est présentée comme "mets national valaisan" à l'Exposition cantonale de Sion, qui attire de nombreux visiteurs de l'extérieur du canton. [...] L'événement grâce auquel la raclette gagne une notoriété nationale puis internationale est l'Exposition nationale de 1964 à Lausanne.
[Melting the cheese in front of a fire is also attested in 1574 in Valais, in a particularly detailed manner, in a document written by Gaspard Ambuel, known as Collinus, doctor and pharmacist in Sion. Regarding the cheeses used, we learn that they are "tasty, fatty, soft and tender". [...] The term "raclette", designating this roasted cheese dish, appears in numerous sources written in the French language as early as 1875, which suggests that the term was already well known then. [...] In 1909, it was presented as a "national Valais dish" at the Cantonal Exhibition in Sion, which attracted many visitors from outside the canton. [...] The event thanks to which raclette gained national and then international notoriety was the 1964 National Exhibition in Lausanne.] - ^ "Zurich study settles longstanding fondue beverage debate". dw.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Raclette – another classic for cooking with fire". Texas Oven Co. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2019.