Where it comes from
Cholera is a savoury double-crust pie from the canton of Valais, and its alarming name has a debated origin. One folk tale says that during a cholera epidemic in 1836, with trade disrupted, mountain people stayed home and baked whatever they had — potatoes, leeks, apples, cheese, bacon — sealed inside pastry; others link the name to the Valais German word for the coals it was baked on. Either way it became a fixture of Goms Valley kitchens, a complete meal in a crust.
On the plate
You cut through a crisp golden crust into a steaming layered filling: earthy potato, sweet softened leek, salty bacon, and surprising little hits of apple that brighten everything, all bound by molten raclette. Rich and rustic, it eats like a whole Alpine meal folded into pastry.
How it works
Pre-cooking the potatoes and sweating the leeks drives off water that would otherwise make the pastry soggy, so the crust bakes crisp. The apple's acidity and sweetness lift the heavy potato-cheese-bacon core, and sealing everything in pastry traps steam so the layers cook through and the cheese melts into the lot.
Variations
Goms Valley classic uses raclette cheese, potato, leek, apple and bacon; pears sometimes join the apples; some families use puff pastry instead of shortcrust; a meatless version drops the bacon; quantities and layers vary from household to household.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓45 min active · 60 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 125 min
Boil 400g waxy potatoes in their skins until just tender, cool, peel and slice thinly.
- 212 min
Soften 2 sliced leeks and 1 sliced onion in butter over low heat until sweet and limp, about 10 minutes; season and cool.
- 38 min
Fry 150g diced bacon until lightly crisp. Peel and thinly slice 2 apples.
- 46 min
Line a round tin with half of about 500g shortcrust pastry, leaving an overhang.
- 510 min
Layer the filling: potatoes, then leek-onion, bacon, apple slices and a generous layer of grated raclette cheese, seasoning between layers; repeat to fill.
- 65 min
Roll out the second half of pastry, lay it over the top, trim, and press the edges to seal; cut a steam hole in the centre.
- 747 min
Brush with beaten egg and bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes until deep golden and the cheese is bubbling within.
- 812 min
Rest 10 minutes, then cut into thick wedges and serve warm with a green salad.
