Edible Vancouver Island Fall 2022

C E L E B R A T I O N S

T he warm spring sunshine lters through the blossoming trees, leaving a mosaic of light and shadow across the afternoon meal table. I sit back, one hand on my full stomach, and survey the smiling faces of relatives surrounding me against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, where elds of cows with their gently musical cowbells are the soundtrack to the outdoor gathering. We’ve been gathered here all afternoon, slowly lling our bellies with the traditional Swiss meal of raclette while con versations in melodic Swiss German swirl around the hearty meal of melted cheese and potatoes. It’s been a few years now since I visited my Swiss family and enjoyed a celebratory raclette dinner with them, but I’ve also enjoyed the meal here in Canada. Raclette is a feast that inspires guests to slow down and enjoy a long, lingering culinary experi ence while you relish the company of those you’re dining with as you slowly melt the raclette cheese that will grace your potatoes. Raclette’s history goes back hundreds of years, attributed to Swiss shepherds who worked in the French-speaking Wallis (or Valais) region. ey needed food that would be cheap and lling, and not spoil easily in the summer sunshine—and the answer was cheese and potatoes. While the potatoes baked on the re, the cheese was set aside it to warm until it began to melt, when it would be scraped onto the potatoes. is is where the term “ra clette” comes from—it evolved from the French word “racler,” which means “to scrape.” Most semi-hard melting cheeses can be used, like the Swiss or French cheeses Gruyere, Appenzeller or Emmentaler. e most authentic experience is to use raclette cheese, which is produced in many places around the world. If you’re a purist, seek out Wal liser Raclette. is cheese is considered a “protected designation Enjoying a meal of raclette is as filling for the soul as it is for the stomach A Swiss Tradition for the Soul WORDS DANIELLE STEINER

22 FALL 2022 EDIBLE VANCOUVER ISLAND