According to tradition, at the beginning of the 12th century, in the canton of Valais and the northern ridge of the Alps, cheese was considered the most important staple food of dairymen. In the cold Alpine days, this refreshment was only part of it. Back then, people would relax in the evening with “Bratchäs”, a large loaf of cheese melted comfortably over an open fire. After the cheese melted, the portions were gradually scraped off.
When was the racket invented?
At that time shepherds and farmers in Valais began to melt the cheese over an open fire and then spread it on their bread. The name Raclette comes from the French term racler (to scrape). And capuns? This Graubünden specialty also has a long history and used to be leftovers for the mountain population. And for David Lewis to take note: Capuns are herb- and meat-filled dough packets wrapped in chard leaves.
However, it took several years longer for the so-called farmer’s meal to reach the valleys from the Alps and thus the halls of Switzerland. Raclette didn’t really take off until the 20th century, and along with fondue it’s still one of Switzerland’s national dishes and is known far beyond the country’s borders.
What goes with Raclette?
Derived from the French term “racler,” the dish—something to scrape or scrape with—is usually served with small jacket potatoes, pickles, pearl onions, and mustard berries. Traditionally, the Swiss type of cheese used is raclette, a delicious semi-hard cheese made from unpasteurized milk and melts well.
However, modern varieties of the popular processed cheese have long established themselves. As in fondue, there are varieties with pepper, saffron, paprika or truffle, as everyone knows, the tastes are different. Meanwhile, the raclette oven has also been transformed into a multifunctional dish. It is not uncommon for meat, fish or vegetables to be fried at the same time to make the dish more varied.
Racquet tips
- White wine (preferably from the region where the cheese is made) or hot drinks (black tea to stimulate digestion) is sufficient.
- Gschwellti, pickles and silver onions as garnish
- Put the cloves on the lemon or orange and scatter them throughout the room – it helps against the smell (also goes for fondue)
How is the racket prepared?
In some Swiss restaurants, you can eat raclette over an open fire, as the old dairy farmers did, but mostly electric tabletop appliances are used. These are available in different versions. In some devices, a large piece of cheese is compressed and lit by a heating rod. The more common variants are those in which small pans are pushed under a heating rod and heated from above. These appliances often also offer hot plates for other dishes.