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My first Raclette - first impressions

Jenny - My first introduction to raclette was in Germany together with relatives. My German born husband and I had just arrived after the long flight from Sydney. Feeling quite jet lagged, I could hear murmurings about what was going to be our welcoming dinner that night. We were having raclette that evening and I had no idea what it was. Now, I'm a big potato fan and to my surprise I saw the table extended and decked with all my favourite foods. Lots of different types of ham together with some raw vegetables. The electrical gadget in the middle of the table I had never seen before. These people had raclette quite regularly. I knew Germans were big on potatoes too but I didn't know cheese and potatoes could taste this good. I wondered how did this remain such a secret to me for so long. It was so simple yet the best fun I had at the dinner table.

As I discovered cheese that has just come out of the refrigerator can be quite unassuming. But when it is heated and grilled , the smell and the flavour were absolutely delicious. It was only years later that I got hold of my own Raclette grill for use back here in Australia. They are so common in Europe they sell them in shops equivalent to "Woolies". In Germany raclette cheese comes ready sliced and conveniently packed. Here in Australia we need to slice and prepare the cheese ourselves. But I'm grateful to have many European cheeses also made here, although they are a little hard to find.

Natalie - As an exchange student in Switzerland I attended a function with my host family at a club house for a sporting club. Raclette was on the menu - Swiss style. The hall was full with long tables and long benches and jolly old men and women were busily behind the counters serving up this cheese dish one by one to people waiting patiently in line. Huge pieces of cheese were being melted by an unusual grilling machine and the top layer of melted cheese scraped onto my plate with a potato. I was meant to sit down quickly and dig in as it was best eaten hot. It was the yummiest thing I'd had tasted. I went back for more 6 times. Months later I was invited to a German family's home and we had raclette again but they had their own grill hotplate appliance in the middle of the table -enough for 8 people and that seemed more civilised and still loads of fun.

How was your first raclette like? Send us your feedback.