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Raclette du Valais facts for kids

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Raclette du Valais
Raclette AOC.jpg
A 2013 Raclette wheel bearing the AOC logo
Country of origin Switzerland
Region Valais
Source of milk Cows
Pasteurised No
Texture Semi-hard
Aging time 3-6 months
Certification AOC 2003-2013
AOP since 2013
Named after Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 70: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Raclette du Valais is a famous and delicious cheese from Switzerland. It's a special kind of cheese that's often melted and scraped onto other foods. This cheese is usually shaped like a big wheel, weighing about 6 kilograms (which is around 13 pounds)! It's made from the milk of cows that live in the beautiful Valais region of Switzerland.

Raclette Cheese: A Melty Delight!

Raclette du Valais is known as a semi-hard cheese. This means it's not super soft like cream cheese, but it's not rock-hard either. While you can eat it plain, it's most famous for being melted. When it melts, it becomes wonderfully gooey and perfect for a dish also called raclette. People often melt it and pour it over boiled potatoes, pickles, and cured meats.

Where Does Raclette du Valais Come From?

This special cheese comes from the Valais area in Switzerland. It has a very important label called AOP. Think of AOP as a special badge that says, "This cheese is truly from Valais, and it's made in a traditional way!" This label helps protect the quality and origin of the cheese. It means that only cheese made in Valais, following strict rules, can be called "Raclette du Valais."

Raclette Around the World

While the "real" Raclette du Valais comes from Switzerland and has its AOP label, many other countries also make cheeses similar to raclette. You can find raclette-style cheeses made in places like France, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, and even countries like Canada and the United States. These cheeses might be delicious, but they don't have the special AOP badge that the Swiss Raclette du Valais has.

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