The world's largest raclette: a legendary record set in Sierre in 1998
173,134 meters long. 7,000 guests. 2,376 kg of cheese . 25,000 francs budget. On August 22, 1998, the small Valais town of Sierre entered culinary history by organizing the largest raclette in the world in Sierre .
An extraordinary collective feat of the largest raclette, worthy of a Guinness Book of Records, which has forever marked the minds and the gourmet identity of an entire canton.
Does this record compare to the Saturday evening event in Martigny in 2025?
A raclette oven of all superlatives listed in the Guinness Book
Installed on Avenue du Général-Guisan, the giant raclette oven reached a precisely measured length of 173 meters , certified by laser by surveyor Roger Warpe-lin in the presence of lawyers and official witnesses.
The ingenuity? The raclette oven was made from motorway guardrails , diverted for the occasion into a cheese warming track.
The lighter that lit the first flame was the one used for the 2006 Sion-Valais Olympic Games. It traveled through 28 countries, from Olympia in Greece to its arrival in Sierre.
To make it work, it was necessary to:
- 25m3 of wood,
- 10 lumberjacks
- 10 liters of burning paste,
-
35 scrapers
Figures to make you melt with envy for the biggest raclette in the world
Here are some striking facts about this world record:
- 2,376 kg of raclette cheese from wheels matured at an altitude of 2,540 meters.
- 450 kg of potatoes
- 4698 pickles
- 3687 onions,
- 4,898 servings served.
- 6,000 plates, forks, knives and glasses distributed
- 25,000 francs budget covered solely by sponsors.
-
7,000 people served in a single evening.
The excellence of the cheese, meanwhile, was sourced from all regions of Valais . We are talking about 90 wheels of cheese, 30 km of religieuses (the rind of the melted cheese)... a symbol of diversity and culinary unity.
A crazy atmosphere around real cheese raclette
Behind this world record performance was the 30th anniversary of the Young Economic Chamber ( JCE ) of Sierre. The whole town was involved: local associations, the tourist office, shopkeepers, musicians... A free celebration, open to all, in a carnival atmosphere with drums, fifes, accordionists, lumberjacks, and of course, scrapers!
The priest François-Xavier Amherdt even read an ode to the nun , comparing the melted crust to local figures in a tone as sacred as it was mischievous. General Bernard Schwery, for his part, proceeded with the official blessing of the oven and the solemn swearing-in of the scrapers.
A record, a pride, a legend
The goal of having this world record certified and included in the Valais heritage was taken very seriously. The entry in the Guinness Book was ready to be sent the following Monday. Charles-Albert Antille , a local figure, renamed the esplanade in front of the Casino Place du Four , in tribute to this historic event and result.
"We were completely overwhelmed by the crowd," confided Anne-Dominique Zufferey, the project's main organizer.
And in the last episodes? Did Martigny take up and win the challenge?
27 years after the success and feat of the largest Valais raclette in the world in Sierre, Martigny has taken up the challenge and achieved a new historic feat, a new world record for real raclette (without raclonette).
On April 5, 2025, the city brought together 4,893 guests around a giant raclette , surpassing the record attempt previously held by France with its raclonette on charcuterie.
With more than two tons of Raclette du Valais AOP , tons of potatoes, gherkins, hundreds of liters of wine, 361 volunteer scrapers mobilized and all this overseen by the raclette ambassador, Eddy Baillifard and the director of Myexpo , the event was a popular, friendly triumph, proud of its Valais roots.
But can you really "beat" a raclette like the one in Sierre, Switzerland? Because more than just a record, the 1998 raclette remains a living legend , a crazy, free, spontaneous gastronomic festival that celebrates raclette with such public enthusiasm. A legendary raclette centered around authenticity, forever etched in the hearts of the Valaisans.
The writing of this article was made possible thanks to Jérémy Zuber , marketing manager at Nouvelliste , whom we warmly thank for his valuable information and his
