Long before there was a luxury chain of Ritz-Carlton hotels, or a lavish Hotel Ritz in Paris, or even before people started to describe something sumptuous as "ritzy," there was Cesar Ritz, the "king of hoteliers and the hotelier to kings." Born in 1850 in the Swiss village of Niederwald, it's easy to conclude that his penchant for good taste and elegant style, both in cuisine and accommodation, was acquired early in life while living in the canton of Valais.

When foodies' discussion turns to the legendary gastronomic regions of Europe, Valais does not have the far-flung notoriety or culinary cachet of Lyon to the west or Tuscany to the south. And though Valais is not widely celebrated as a gastronomic hotspot, it has a well-deserved and longstanding reputation for wonderfully distinctive and well prepared food.

Simply put, I've never had a bad meal in Valais. Oh, I'm certain they serve pedestrian meals there as they do anywhere else in Europe. It's just that I haven't found the place yet. And while happily relishing both home-cooked and restaurant faire, I've come to respect the rich culinary tradition, the agricultural abundance, and the vibrant talent which Valaisan cooks bring to the table.

If your idea of Swiss food is cheese, chocolate, and potatoes, you'll be pleasantly surprised in Valais, where cultures collide to bring out the best in European cuisine. Switzerland's most culturally diverse canton also dishes up the most memorable cuisine and produces some of the country's most delectable foods.

For as long as people have lived in Valais they have made cheese and even today, melted cheese is the essence of a traditional meal in Valais. They served it with potatoes, pearl onions and gherkins. Today there are many soft cheeses and imitations of raclette cheese, yet the original is still unmatched. The reason is this: Valais is the only place where raclette cheese has been made from unpasteurized raw milk for centuries without alteration. The cheesemakers of Valais produce a total of 2,000 tons of raclette cheese - and more every year.

The people of Valais realized that the mountain farmers and cheesemakers could only survive if their raclette cheese remained distinctive and unmistaken from the industrially and more cheaply produced version. For this reason, efforts were made in Valais to protect raclette cheese against imitation. Once the responsible federal office had accepted the application, protests from the other cantons immediately followed. The supply of raclette cheese to the Swiss people was at stake, it was argued, because the cheesemakers of Valais were no longer in a position to satisfy the nation's appetite for raclette.

The Valaisians' struggle to protect "their" cheese ultimately lasted for years. In their application for AOC protection, the people drew upon historical documents proving that raclette cheese was melted even in the early Middle Ages. One year ago, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgericht), confirmed the protected origin of "Valais Raclette AOC". In autumn 2009, the first raclette cheeses with the unmistakable description "Raclette du Valais AOC" will be launched. So as you swirl your potatoes in a soft puddle of swarm cheese, you'll take comfort in knowing that honest to goodness traditional foods still have a place in Valais Switzerland.

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