Patrick Oconnell
Raclette is a semi-soft Swiss cow's milk cheese with a distinctive odour and a complex taste. It is traditionally melted and served with boiled potatoes, cornichons, cured meats, and pickled onions, and accompanied by hot black tea or white wine. Raclette cheese has a unique flavour profile that ranges from nutty and fruity to bitter and funky, depending on its age and the production techniques employed. Its texture transforms from slightly rubbery to gooey and creamy when melted, making it ideal for dishes like the classic raclette sandwich.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Texture | Semi-soft |
| Type of Milk | Cow's milk |
| Taste | Nutty, fruity, bitter, funky, smooth, creamy, rubbery, stinky |
| Smell | Pungent, funky, stinky |
| Consistency | Melts beautifully when heated |
| Rind | Strong taste |
| Origin | Swiss Alps, French Alps |
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What You'll Learn
Raclette cheese is semi-soft and made from cow's milk
Raclette cheese is a semi-soft cheese made from cow's milk. It is a Swiss cheese, with a distinctive, pungent aroma and a complex taste. The cheese is named after the French word "racler", which means "to scrape", and this is exactly how it is traditionally served—melted and scraped over potatoes, cornichons, and pickled onions. Raclette cheese is often served with hot black tea or white wine.
The cheese is produced in the French and Swiss Alps and is said to have been first made in the Middle Ages in the Pennine Alps of Valais, Switzerland. The Eringer breed of cow is the cow of choice for producing raclette cheese. The cheese is typically sold in wheels or blocks and has a dark-beige rind, which is removed before serving. The rind has a strong taste and is not edible.
Raclette cheese has a unique, funky flavour that is both nutty and slightly fruity. It has a smooth, creamy texture and melts beautifully when heated. The cheese becomes soft and gooey, making it perfect for melting and scraping onto various dishes. The traditional way to eat raclette is to melt a wheel of cheese by the fire and then scrape the melted cheese onto a piece of bread.
The aging process influences the taste of raclette cheese, with younger cheeses having a milder flavour and older cheeses developing a more robust and complex taste. The cheese's distinctiveness also varies depending on the cow's diet, the season, and the specific production techniques used by cheesemakers. Proper storage of raclette cheese is essential to ensure the best quality and flavour, and it can be frozen if necessary.
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It has a strong, pungent aroma
Raclette cheese is known for its strong, pungent aroma, often described as "stinky." This distinct smell is a result of the washed-rind technique used during the aging process, which encourages the growth of certain bacteria. While the aroma may be off-putting to some, it is a beloved ingredient in Swiss and French cuisine and is known for its unique melting properties.
The cheese is semi-soft to semi-firm and made from cow's milk. It has a smooth, creamy texture and a complex taste, with notes of nuttiness and slight fruitiness. The aging process influences the cheese's flavor, with younger raclette having a milder taste and older cheese developing a more robust and intricate flavor. The specific production techniques, the cow's diet, and the season also contribute to the cheese's distinctiveness.
When melted, raclette cheese transforms. The infamous odor dissipates, and the cheese becomes milder and sweeter, resembling fresh mozzarella. It melts beautifully, becoming soft, gooey, and perfect for scraping onto various dishes. The traditional way to serve raclette is to heat the cheese and scrape it onto boiled potatoes and pickles, creating a creamy, savory delight.
Raclette cheese is typically sold in wheels or blocks, and it is recommended to remove the rind before serving, as it has a strong flavor. The cheese can be sliced or grated and then melted to the desired consistency. A dedicated cheese melter or raclette grill is ideal for preparing raclette, but it can also be melted in an oven or under a broiler with careful monitoring.
The term "raclette" often refers to both the dish and the cheese used to make it. It is a popular comfort food, especially in the Alpine regions, and has a rich history and cultural significance. Raclette began as a nighttime meal for Swiss farmers herding cows in the Alps, who would soften the cheese by the fire and scrape it onto bread. Today, it is enjoyed in various forms, including sandwiches, where the melted cheese creates an indulgent, gooey avalanche of flavor.
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The cheese has a nutty and fruity flavour
Raclette cheese is a semi-soft or semi-hard Swiss cow's milk cheese. It is quite stinky due to the washed-rind technique used during the aging process. The cheese has a nutty and fruity flavour. Its unique melting properties make it perfect for melting and scraping onto different dishes.
The cheese's distinctiveness varies depending on the cow's diet, the season, and the specific production techniques used by cheesemakers. Raclette cheese stands out among other cheeses due to its distinctive melting properties. It becomes soft and gooey when heated, making it perfect for melting and scraping onto various dishes. This melting quality sets it apart from many other cheeses, some of which actually harden when heated.
The aging process influences the cheese's taste, with younger raclette cheese having a milder flavour and older cheese developing a more robust and complex taste. Raclette cheese is traditionally prepared by heating a slice of cheese over an open flame until it becomes soft and gooey. It is then scraped onto a dish, such as boiled potatoes, cured meats, and pickles.
The traditional raclette meal, also called raclette, is a plate of potatoes with a hot, melty layer of raclette cheese on top. The cheese becomes much tamer when melted and has some fruity notes to it. It can be served with hot black tea or white wine.
Raclette cheese has a long and rich history in Swiss and French cuisine and is a beloved ingredient in traditional dishes and fondue. It is said to have been first made in the Middle Ages in the Pennine Alps of Valais, Switzerland. Raclette cheese from Valais has received the AOC label (certified designation of origin).
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Raclette is great for melting and scraping onto food
Raclette is a semi-soft, semi-hard, or semi-firm Swiss cow's milk cheese. It is known for its strong, pungent aroma, which has been likened to stinky socks or a gym locker filled with dirty sweat clothes. However, despite its infamous odour, raclette is a popular cheese, particularly when melted.
Raclette is excellent for melting and scraping onto food. The cheese has a unique texture that transforms from semi-soft to soft and gooey when heated, making it perfect for melting and scraping onto various dishes. This sets it apart from other cheeses, some of which harden when heated. The melting quality of raclette is so renowned that the term "raclette" is often used to describe the act of melting and scraping cheese onto food, rather than specifically referring to the cheese itself.
The traditional way to eat raclette involves melting the cheese next to an open flame, such as a bonfire or fireplace, until it becomes creamy and mild in flavour. The cheese is then scraped onto a plate of boiled potatoes and pickles, creating a delicious, indulgent dish. This method of preparation is said to tame the strong aroma of the cheese, making it more palatable for those who may be put off by its pungent smell.
In addition to potatoes and pickles, raclette can be melted and scraped onto a variety of other foods. It is commonly paired with cured meats such as prosciutto or salami, cornichons, pickled onions, and bread. The Swiss farmers who originally enjoyed raclette would carry a wheel of cheese with them while herding cows into the Alps, melting the cheese by the fire and scraping it onto a piece of bread. Today, raclette sandwiches have become a viral sensation on TikTok, showcasing the cheese's ability to create a gooey, cheesy avalanche of flavour.
The flavour of raclette cheese can vary depending on its age, with younger cheeses having a milder taste and older cheeses developing a more robust and complex flavour. The cheese's distinctiveness is also influenced by the cow's diet, the season, and the specific production techniques used by cheesemakers. When purchasing raclette, it is recommended to choose cheeses from the towns of Bagnes, Conches, Gomser, and Orsieres in Switzerland, or Brunnerois and Perrin in France, to ensure the best quality and flavour.
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It is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, cornichons and pickled onions
Raclette cheese is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, cornichons, and pickled onions. The cheese is melted and scraped over the potatoes and pickles. Raclette is a semi-soft Swiss cow's milk cheese with a strong, pungent aroma. It is aged using a washed-rind technique, which gives it a distinct stinky smell and taste. The cheese is then melted, softening its flavour and making it creamy and mild and sweet. The traditional way to eat raclette is to melt a large wheel of cheese by a fire and scrape the melted cheese onto boiled potatoes, cornichons, and pickled onions. This method of preparation is said to have originated in the Swiss Alps, where farmers would carry a wheel of cheese with them while herding cows in the mountains.
Raclette can also be melted using a tabletop raclette grill, allowing each person to melt their own cheese to their desired consistency. The cheese is typically sold in wheels or blocks, and the rind is removed before melting as it has a strong taste. The melting properties of raclette cheese set it apart from other cheeses, as it becomes soft and gooey when heated, making it perfect for scraping onto various dishes.
In addition to the classic combination of boiled potatoes, cornichons, and pickled onions, raclette can be served with cured meats such as prosciutto or salami, and it pairs well with hot black tea or white wine. The term "raclette" refers to both the dish and the cheese used to make it, and there are several cheeses that can be used, resulting in a variety of flavours. The most common cheeses are Alpine in origin, including Swiss cheese, emmental, gruyere, and comte, which are all soft and have a high moisture content, ideal for melting.
Raclette cheese has a complex flavour profile, with a slight rubbery texture that provides a little resistance when chewing. When eaten cold, it has a strong, funky taste with notes of nuttiness and a slight bitterness. However, when melted, the cheese becomes milder, with fruity and caramelized notes, resembling fresh mozzarella. The ageing process influences the taste of raclette cheese, with younger cheeses having a milder flavour and older cheeses developing a more robust and complex taste.
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Frequently asked questions
Raclette cheese has a distinctive flavour that is both nutty and slightly fruity. It is also known for its strong, pungent aroma.
Yes, raclette cheese is known for its unique melting properties. It becomes soft, gooey, and creamy when heated, making it perfect for melting and scraping onto dishes like potatoes, cornichons, and bread.
When melted, raclette cheese becomes milder and sweeter, with some describing it as tasting like fresh mozzarella. The infamous odour associated with raclette cheese also disappears when it is melted.
Raclette cheese is similar to Swiss cheese, brie, and emmental. It is also comparable to other semi-soft, washed-rind cheeses that are known for their strong smell and taste, such as Limburger.
