Raclette Cheese of Valais. (AOC)

Raclette is a special Swiss Cheese of the Valais area of Switzerland. First mentions of it dates from 1200's. It was traditional for Cow Herders and Shepherds, to carry Cheese and Bread in their satchels on their way up the mountains for their Sheeps and Cows to have fresh green pastures. Up there in the Mountains, they were eating by scraping the cheese upon the bread above a fire in order to melt the Cheese.

This method of scraping the Cheese means Racler in French hence this particular Cheese was called Raclette. This ancient tradition to melt Cheese upon a shallow receptacle became the renown dish la Raclette.