Last but not least: European Grilled Cheese

In 2007, the Federal Supreme Court ruled that "raclette" was not a protected Valais term. The reason for the decision: the name has only been used explicitly for the cheese since the 1970s; before that, it was only used in Valais for dishes with melted cheese. This not only pleased cheese makers in the rest of Switzerland, but also foreign cheese producers, who could continue to sell their approximately 1500 tons per year in Switzerland undisturbed.

For example, the Austrian company Berglandmilch, which produces the "Schärdinger Raclette" in Styria. Without a guilty conscience, as the then head of marketing at NZZ revealed. Raclette is hugely popular in Austria, but the dish is hardly associated with Switzerland. "Raclette is simply a fat semi-hard cheese from the Alpine region."

"Fat semi-hard cheese from the Alpine region" - rarely has one of our most beloved national foods been spoken of so uncharitably. Until now: The wide-reaching American viral video blog Viralviralvideos.com now headlines "European Grilled Cheese" and describes a video showing a standard raclette oven that couldn't be more Swiss. With Schärdinger raclette in it. And red wine. Your own fat semi-hard cheese from the Alps!
 

The video was uploaded back in 2013, 2015 on Reddit.com and is now spreading like wildfire as Americans are blown away by the way their Grilled Cheese Sandwich (also known as "Käseschnitte" in Germany) is prepared. "In Europe, they have a different way of making a cheesy sandwich snack"... "Using a special machine, European dairy company Schärdinger demonstrates how they melt up some of their Schärdinger Raclette cheese right off the block".

In a short space of time, the video has mobilized over 105,000 enthusiastic viewers. For comparison: Schäringer's video "Soft cheese sticks wrapped in puff pastry" has attracted just 7100 viewers to the screens after almost a year. Incidentally, these soft cheese sticks are an old Swiss tradition.

Conclusion: The rest of the world seems to be completely unaware of the deep Swiss attachment to raclette - but freaks out when you put a raclette oven on the table. Perhaps an approach worth pursuing for Switzerland Tourism. (hae)