You bring people together around the heat. You are traditional and generous, and once the evening gets going nobody can resist you.
Cheese profile
- MildBold
- SoftFirm
- HomebodyExplorer
- SoloFondue crowd
- ClassicWild
The real cheese facts
- Origin
- Canton of Valais only
- Milk
- Raw milk
- Type
- Semi-hard, full-fat, wheels of 4.6 to 5.8 kg
- Ripening
- At least 3 months
- Best for
- Melted and scraped: raclette
Source: cheesesfromswitzerland.com, aop-igp.ch · Last checked 28.10.2026
Taste and texture
Creamy and aromatic, with a fresh, tangy edge. Over the heat it turns soft and runny.
How to eat it
The traditional way: cut a wheel in half, hold the cut side to the fire or a raclette oven, and scrape the melted layer onto a plate as soon as it bubbles. Then eat it straight away, usually with potatoes in their jackets and pickles. The name comes from racler, the local French word for scraping.
Did you know?
People in Valais were already melting cheese like this in 1574. The name raclette only became official in 1874. Raclette du Valais has been an AOP since 2007 and part of Switzerland’s culinary heritage since 2008.
Raclette or fondue?
Both are melted cheese, and you eat them differently. For raclette you melt the cut side of a half wheel and scrape it onto your plate, usually with potatoes. For fondue the cheese melts in a pot and everyone dips bread into it. The classic moitié-moitié fondue uses Le Gruyère AOP and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP in equal parts.
More about Le Gruyère AOP →How to keep it
Wrap the cut side tightly so it does not dry out, and keep the cheese in the fridge. Take it out early on raclette night, because cheese at room temperature melts more evenly.
Questions about Raclette du Valais AOP
What is the difference between Raclette du Valais AOP and other raclette cheese?
Raclette du Valais AOP comes only from the canton of Valais and is made from raw milk. Other raclette cheese can be made elsewhere and from heat-treated milk.
How long is Raclette du Valais aged?
At least three months. A whole wheel weighs 4.6 to 5.8 kg and measures 29 to 32 cm across.