Cheese is arguably one of the best additions to any savory or sweet dish — think apple pie — and what better way to add cheese to any meal than by dousing said meal in melted cheese? That’s the idea behind two cheese-centric meals, fondue and raclette, and while the two eating experiences are similar, they have a few important differences.

Both fondue and raclette originated in the Swiss Alps as a way for poor farmers to make their food supplies last longer and taste better. However, fondue revolves around melting cheese in a pot and dipping food into the pot, like tiny cubes of bread; fondue is also typically made with Gruyère or a mixture of various kinds of cheese and spices.

On the other hand, raclette is only made with raclette cheese. Instead of being melted in a pot, the cheese is melted over an open flame or other heat source, and the melted cheese is then scraped off and served over roasted potatoes, deli meats, bread, gherkins, or pickled onion; the dish gets its name from the French word racler, meaning “to scrape.”