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Raclette and fondue are actually very different cheese dishes, made with different cheeses too.
Raclette is made with "raclette" cheese (easy) and the cheese is melted through direct heat on top of the cheese wedge, then it is scraped ("racler" = to scrape) onto the plate. It is served with cured meats, boiled potatoes and onions/pickles.
Fondue uses cheeses from Savoy (usually a mix of 4 or 5 cheeses, including gruyere, emmental, comte... lots of people have different views on the right cheese mix but raclette cheese is not one of them) plus some white wine (some people add milk). Cheese is melted in a pot so is not "grilled" by direct heat like raclette. It's eaten by dipping bread in it.
I personally much prefer raclette (or tartiflette) to cheese fondue
Hope you enjoyed the explanations and are now as hungry as I am
The Swiss mountain fondue I've had is simpler than the French version, and I prefer it. I was a little taken aback first time I had it too, but it is tasty. The French version I find (generally) too rich. The Swiss version can be eaten all night. It also seems to have proportionally much more white wine in it than the French version.
And I haven't had a good proper raclette in a long time. I had it at first at a little spot that specialized in food from the Normande. Man, those country French sure know how to eat.
Okay, now I'm hungry.