Raclette is the great communal cheese ritual of the French and Swiss Alps — a preparation of primal simplicity (cheese melted by heat, scraped onto a plate with potatoes) that has become one of France's most popular winter social meals and one of the few dishes where the cooking method is the name. The word comes from racler (to scrape): traditionally, a half-wheel of raclette cheese is held face-down toward an open fire or a special heating element, and as the surface melts, it is scraped (raclée) directly onto a plate of boiled potatoes, cornichons, and pickled onions. The cheese: Raclette de Savoie (IGP) is a semi-hard, washed-rind mountain cheese (5-7kg wheels) made from raw or thermized cow's milk, aged 2-3 months, with a supple, even-textured paste that melts into a smooth, flowing pool without separating or becoming rubbery. The rind is regularly washed during affinage, giving it a distinctive orange-brown color and a slightly pungent, mushroomy aroma. The modern raclette: the tabletop raclette grill (appareil à raclette) — an electric device with a heating element above and individual small pans (coupelles or poêlons) below — has made raclette a standard French dinner-party format. Each person places a slice of cheese in their coupelle under the grill, where it melts in 3-4 minutes, then tips the molten cheese onto their plate of potatoes, charcuterie, and pickles. The accompaniments are non-negotiable: small boiled potatoes (rattes or charlottes, boiled in their skins), cornichons, pickled silverskin onions, and an assortment of dried and cured meats (jambon sec, viande des grisons, coppa, rosette de Lyon). A green salad dressed lightly in vinaigrette rounds the meal. The drink: Savoyard white wine (Apremont, Chignin) or, controversially, black tea (which the Swiss maintain aids digestion of the melted cheese better than wine).
Racler = to scrape. Half-wheel melted by heat, scraped onto plate. Raclette de Savoie IGP: semi-hard, washed-rind, 2-3 months aged, melts smoothly. Modern: tabletop grill with individual coupelles. Accompaniments: boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, charcuterie. Savoyard white wine (Apremont/Chignin). Social/communal winter meal.
For traditional half-wheel raclette: if you have a raclette four (the traditional heating device), hold the cheese face-down 10cm from the heat, let the surface melt 2-3mm deep, scrape onto a warm plate in one fluid motion. For the tabletop version: use a mix of cheeses for variety — Raclette de Savoie classique, Raclette fumée (smoked), and Raclette au poivre (pepper-studded). For the charcuterie board: jambon de Savoie, viande des grisons (air-dried beef), coppa, and rosette de Lyon — sliced thin, arranged on a wooden board. Count 200g cheese per person. The social rule: raclette dinner starts at 7pm and lasts until the cheese runs out — typically 2-3 hours. Visit the Fête de la Raclette in the Vallée d'Abondance each February.
Using pre-sliced supermarket raclette (artisanal Raclette de Savoie from a fromagerie has incomparably more flavor). Not using the rind (traditional raclette melts the cheese rind-side up — the rind crisps and caramelizes, adding smoky depth). Eating the cheese without the acid counterpoint (cornichons and pickled onions are essential — they cut the richness). Serving the potatoes cold (boiled potatoes must be hot — the cheese on cold potatoes solidifies instantly). Drinking ice water (cold liquid on hot melted cheese reportedly causes digestive distress — drink room-temperature wine or hot tea). Melting the cheese too long (3-4 minutes maximum — overmelted raclette becomes oily and grainy).
La Cuisine Savoyarde — Marie-Thérèse Hermann; Fromages de Montagne — Joseph Favre