Raclette Plate, Alpage de la Peule, Tour du Mont Blanc, Switzerland (Photos: RLW)
Raclette comes from Valais. Based on a variety of regional cheeses, it was a meal for farmers and alpine herdsmen. In the distant past someone put a cheese wheel too close to the fire and the Swiss discovered that melted cheese was delicious. Raclette was born. The term Raclette derives from the French 'racler', meaning "to scrape."
Traditionally the dish is composed of melted cheese, jacket potatoes (Bintje, Charlotte or Raclette varieties) and pickles. On our 2008 Tour du Mont Blanc a host of savories were offered including cured meats, pickled onions, sliced peppers, tomato, mushrooms, and pears. The plate is then dusted with paprika and fresh-ground black pepper.
Gomser or Bagnes are the cheeses of choice today. They have a creamy consistency and do not run when heated. The Raclette oven or grill is the tool of choice. Large Raclette cheese rounds are cut in half and three are mounted cut-side up. Two are under the heating elements, while the third is presented to be scraped onto diners' plates.
Richard Wottrich
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