Switzerland In Focus - Discover Switzerland: Experience the Best of Switzerland - page 603

Fondue & Raclette
It is hard to leave Switzerland without dipping into a fondue (from the French verb fon-
dre, meaning 'to melt'). And you shouldn't! The main French contribution to the Swiss
table, a pot of gooey melted cheese is placed in the centre of the table and kept on a slow
burn while diners dip in cubes of crusty bread using slender two-pronged fondue forks.
Just the sight of the creamy cheese languidly glistening on the bread is enough to make
some diners swoon.
The classic fondue mix in Switzerland is equal amounts of Emmental and Gruyère
cheese, grated and melted with white wine and a shot of kirsch (cherry-flavoured liquor);
order a side platter of cold meats and tiny gherkins to accompany it.
Switzerland's other signature alpine cheese dish is raclette. Unlike fondue, raclette -
both the name of the dish and the cheese at its gooey heart - is eaten year-round. A half-
crescent slab of the cheese is screwed onto a specially designed 'rack oven' that melts the
top flat side. As it melts, cheese is scraped onto plates for immediate consumption with
boiled potatoes, cold meats and pickled onions or gherkins.
Rösti
Be sure not to miss rösti (a shredded, oven-crisped potato bake). Baked to a perfect crisp,
the shredded potato is mixed with seasonal mushrooms and bacon bits to create a perfect
lunch, paired with nothing more than a simple green salad. This is Swiss Alpine heaven.