SUMMER
INSIGHTS FROM EMMI ROTH
R AC L ET T E & FO N D U E
Issue No.4
This is an incomprehensible time for
communities healthy. In our local
everyone in the food industry. We are all
communities in Wisconsin, our employees
at our best when we are collaborating,
are stepping up to help. This has included
celebrating and bringing people together
donating cheese products and supplies to
with food. The closures and
our local schools and healthcare systems,
uncertainty that have come with the
working closely with chefs and their pro-
COVID-19 pandemic challenged
grams to feed our communities, and host-
that, but we are also resilient. The spirit
ing giveaways to help our local cheese
of the food industry can’t be stifled, and
shops. We have always done business with
we are looking forward to celebrating
a giving and caring mentality, and right
again soon.
now it’s even more important to do so.
Until then we are focusing on the things we
We believe in the power of our community
can do. First, we are committed to being an
now more than ever. We are grateful for
essential partner for you. Our production
those on the front lines – for our farmers,
facilities are running to ensure we produce
our employees, grocers, delivery
the important products you need. Our
professionals, chefs reinventing their
teams who already implement strict
businesses and our customers. Thank you
food safety measures have been forced
for your continued support of our products.
to be even better. Our maintenance team designed and installed plexi glass
We are so hopeful for the future. As you
coverings in front of all open cheese
read through the following pages we hope
products, and our teams are practicing
you think of the meals that bring us
social distancing and implementing strict
together.
hygiene practices. We’re working tirelessly to keep our food system, supply chains, employees and
Raclette and Fondue are each national
discovery occurred centuries – or
dishes of Switzerland, and both are just as
millennia – ago. The only certainty is
synonymous with Switzerland as the Alps
that these communal meals are revered,
and yodeling. These cheeses have varied,
adored and enjoyed by diners far beyond
tantalizing histories that are debated to
Switzerland’s border today. Melted cheese
present day. Most likely, these pastoral
is perhaps, one of humankind’s greatest
dishes reached their current semblances
creations and as such, developed
in the late 1800s, but their origins of
legendary stories.
Created well before Fondue, the lore of
To that end, it is futile to determine the
Raclette is based on the story of a man
exact origin of Raclette, but it was
from Valais, Switzerland, by the name of
mentioned in medieval texts from Swiss
Leon. One cold day, with food scarce in
convents dating as early as 1291.2
the open pastures, Leon heated a piece
Originally consumed by peasants in the
of cheese over an open fire to ease his
Alpine regions of Switzerland (and
hunger and keep warm. He found the
probably France), it was known as
melted cheese had a transcendent flavor.
Bratchäs, or roasted cheese. The
It not only complemented other foods –
methods then were primitive; cow
it made a great, satisfying meal for his
herders carried this cheese along with
family. Which also is the story if we ask
them as they moved cattle to and
Germany or Austria, where Raclette is
from the mountainous pastures. When
mightily popular. However, if we would
their work was finished for the day,
ask the French we may hear that it was
these herders would put half a wheel of
created long ago, also during winter, in
cheese near the fire and scrape it onto
the Savoie region of France1, a mere 120
bread as their evening meal.3 In 1574,
miles from the origin of the Swiss tale
documented in detail, is an incident of
of Raclette.1 Perhaps, let’s all agree
melting cheese in front of a fire in Valais
that humans have similar inclinations
written by Gaspard Ambuel. This would
to melt cheese.
indicate its slow steps into popularity
country.4 This popularity extended the production of Raclette outside of Valais, where production eventually outpaced that of the original canton.1 In 2007, Raclette du Valais was given the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), with some Swiss and French variations that are now PDO-protected. More than 10,000 tons of Raclette cheese is and into the more mainstream. It is
produced annually outside of Valais,
important to note that Raclette most
but within that canton, less than half
likely did not look like what we know of it
the cheese made is ever exported,
today, as contemporary manufacturing
which means it is mainly used for
technologies were not developed until the
national consumption.4
14th and 15th centuries in Switzerland.4 The word Raclette comes from the French For hundreds of years Raclette was
Swiss dialect (Walliserdialekt) verb
served in the mountains at family
racler, which means to scrape.2
tables, celebrations and as a means of
Nowadays, it is very rare to see Raclette
sustenance in the Alps, but it wasn’t
being heated next to a fire as there are
until the 20th century that this method
many more modern tools such as
of consuming cheese came down the
electric grills to use for individual
mountainsides and became a national
consumption. Preferred drink pairings
dish of Switzerland. 3 During a
and accompaniments vary by region, but
culinary exhibition in 1909, Raclette
no matter what it is tasted with, Raclette
was presented as a national Valaisan dish
is sure to bring joy to every table.
and at this time was limited to cheese aficionados and to those within the canton of Valais. It wasn’t until the 1960s and Raclette’s presentation as a Swiss National Dish at the 1964 National Exhibition that this cheese reached its maturity within the
To be more candid, it was a cartel. Cartels collude, improve profits and dominate markets. As was true with the Swiss Cheese Union and fondue. The concept of fondue originated with Alpine
Pre-World War I was primetime for Swiss
herdsman in an effort to stay full and warm
cheese, which wasn’t solely the white holey
during the harsh winters. It means, simply “to
stuff. Back then, it is estimated that
melt”. Unlike Raclette, Fondue is a staunchly
Switzerland produced and exported more
a Swiss invention. What one may come to
than 1,000 different cheeses.7 Gruyère,
notice is that although Fondue is a more
Emmentaler and Sbrinz being the ones most
recent creation, it’s much more well-known
promoted by the Swiss Cheese Union.
and recognizable. The answers behind its rise
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 led
are much more interesting than one may
to shortages, including supplies for
expect from an innocent (but maybe
cheesemaking: Enter the Swiss Cheese
not-so-innocent) cheese dish.
Union, established by Switzerland to protect national food supply.7 Exports were suffering,
Villagers had to save food from the busy
so the Swiss Cheese Union set the price for
summer season to last them through the rest
milk, and told cheese producers how much
of the year – their bread would become stale
cheese they could make, how much they
and the cheese would age, making it more
could sell it for and who they could sell it to.
challenging to eat. These local villagers discovered that adding wine, garlic and herbs
Since production for so much cheese was
to the cheese would make it more palatable,
complicated, they narrowed their support to
and that dipping stale bread in said melted
seven varieties.6 This seemed to be a
mixture would soften the bite. And thus, the
simplified answer, but there was a problem.
traditional, communal fondue was born.5
The country was over-producing cheese and the Swiss Cheese Union was only able to
One cannot delve into the record of Fondue
hold things steady for a while.7 Although,
without coming across the words Schweizer
how they accomplished it can spin heads.
Käseunion AG – the Swiss Cheese Union. Simply put, it was a marketing and trading
The Swiss government created and funded
organization that was active 1914-1999.
the Swiss Cheese Union – then, the Swiss
The tactics the Swiss Cheese Union used to succeed in this brought the demise of the organization. To summarize, they intentionally inflated prices, mislabeled cheeses they were exporting and after corruption charges were brought to several members the Swiss Cheese Union completely disbanded in 1999.6 This deregulated the industry, bringing cheese prices crashing down with the reintroduction of competition, but this also led to more innovation and the Cheese Union controlled the Swiss milk
reintroduction of some of the country’s
associations, which bought cheese from
beloved, forgotten cheeses.7
cheesemakers at fixed prices and then sold it back to the Swiss Cheese Union.7 The
Fondue may have a storied past, but its
upshot is, the Swiss Cheese Union had their
ability to bring community and enjoyment
hands in every component of the
was never falsified. Without the Swiss
cheesemaking industry and those
Cheese Union in place, Fondue has found
hands had a preference for more income.
its new home – as a true, national dish of Switzerland. The streets of any Swiss city
The Swiss Cheese Union had to create more
cannot be walked without the pungent, yet
of a demand for their surplus of cheese. The
pleasant smell of a beloved dish burgeoned
Swiss Cheese Union fabricated a tradition
by a collapsed cartel.
that never existed, and promoted Fondue as a dish for any time of the year using beautiful Alpine actors to spin their tales.6 Before the Swiss Cheese Union got their hands on it and declared it a national dish in the 1930s, Fondue was not well-known, even in Switzerland.7
READY-TO-SERVE ORIGINAL FONDÜ Premium Swiss cheese meets wine and spices for an original fondue experience.
FRESH BLEND FONDÜ Takes the fun of fondue up a notch, blending together the finest Emmentaler AOP and Le Gruyère AOP cheeses.
SELECT FONDÜ POUCH With the addition of Emmentaler AOP, this makes for the creamiest ready-to-serve fondue we offer.
RACLETTE WHEEL & SQUARE Raclette is aromatic and can be mild or piquant, depending on the age of the wheel. The naturally tan rind, washed in brine, is tacky to the touch.
RACLETTE SLICES Now available in convenient slices, Swiss Raclette is availalbe in classic and other flavors. These easy-to-use slices are great for melting over burgers or sandwiches, and the perfect size for a Raclette party grill.
SOURCES 1) frenchmoments.eu 2) german-way.com 3) raclette-suisse.ch 4) patrimoineculinaire.ch 5) everythingfondue.com 6) wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Cheese_Union 7) thinkgrowth.org/the-swiss-cheese-mafia
SPRING
Is sue No.4
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