Editing Raclette (section)

==History==
[[File:Ernest Biéler les comptes de lalpage ou la raclette.jpg|thumb|A depiction of raclette being served in a 1903 painting by [[Ernest Biéler]]]]
[[File:Trauffer Raclette-Gondel Firstbahn Grindelwald.jpg|thumb|Raclette is a dish associated with Alpine culture (here served in a [[gondola lift]] in [[Grindelwald]]).]]
Dishes of melted cheese were mentioned in medieval texts from Swiss [[convent]]s as early as 1291.<ref name=Ch>{{cite web|title=La raclette|url=https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/fr/main/produits-conseils/petite-histoire.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052955/http://www.raclette-suisse.ch/fr/main/produits-conseils/petite-histoire.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-12-03|work=Raclette-suisse.ch}}</ref> Melted cheese was originally consumed by peasants in the mountainous Alpine regions of the cantons of [[Canton of Valais|Valais]] and [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]] (Switzerland), and [[Savoie]] and [[Haute-Savoie]] (France). It was then known in the [[German-speaking Switzerland|German-speaking part of Switzerland]] as {{Lang|de|Bratchäs}} or {{Lang|de|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 [[Expo 64|1964 National Exhibition]].<ref name=CHS>{{cite web | url=https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Produits?text=raclette&canton=&categorie=#444 | language=French | title=Raclette du Valais (AOP) | work=[[Culinary Heritage of Switzerland]] | accessdate=16 January 2023 |quote=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. |trans-quote=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.}}</ref>

In Valais, raclette is typically served with potatoes, [[Pickled cucumber|cornichons]] (fermented, pickled cucumbers), pickled onions, black tea, other warm beverages, or [[Chasselas|Fendant]] wine. A popular French option is to serve it with white wine, such as [[Vin de Savoie AOC|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zurich study settles longstanding fondue beverage debate |url=https://www.dw.com/en/zurich-study-settles-longstanding-fondue-beverage-debate/a-14731202 |website=dw.com |access-date=30 June 2020}}</ref>