What is Fondue?

Fondue originated in Switzerland. It comes from the French word fonder, which means to melt. Fondue essentially is a communal dish that is shared at a table. Individuals will dip bits of food into the fondue pot using a fork. The pieces of food can be bread, meat, vegetables or fruit. The fondue usually is cheese that is kept warm and in semi-liquid state in the pot by alcohol burners. New fondue pots use electricity to heat the fondue. Cheese is the most popular type of fondue, but there are others that use a wide variety of ingredients, such as chocolate.

For cheese fondue it is kept at a constant temperature that is low enough to stop it from burning, while hot enough it keep it liquefied. Once the fondue is finished there is usually a thin layer of cheese that is left at the bottom of the pot. This is called ‘la religieuse’ (”the nun”) in French. It is more toasted cheese as it is usually not burnt.

History of Fondue

Fondue developed centuries ago in Switzerland as a communal dish. It was developed due to food preservation methods of the time. In various parts of the country, the bread and cheese that they created in the summer and fall were needed to last them through the harsh winters. As a result the bread would be aged and the cheese would become hard. Once winter began, families would gather around the large pot of cheese and dip the aged bread into it. This would make it much more edible and tasty.

The dish was carried over century into century. In the 18th century Switzerland developed a booming wine and cheese industry. This would lead to an increase and popularity of the fondue dish.

Their was another development of the dish, when in the 1950’s there was decline in the cheese industry in Switzerland. As a way to increase sale, Fondue was pushed as the more popular dish. This means more cheese could be consumed, and this would lead to higher sales. There was also the development of instant fondue. This found its way to the marketplace and it made it easier for people to enjoy their products easier. There was a surge in popularity of fondue in America in the 1960’s. Tourists would eat and enjoy the dish and often bring back the recipe with them back.

Types of Fondue

Fondue Bourguignonne
It is also known as Beef Fondue. It is a meat version that originated in the vineyards of Burgundy. The Swiss adapted this as a variety of their fondue. In this meal the pot is filled with oil and sometimes butter and brought to simmer. This is usually done in a cast iron or enamel fondue pot. Each person spears small cubes of beef with a special (long and narrow) fondue fork, and fries them in the pot. An assortment of sauces are provided for dipping.

Fondue Court Bouillon
This meal originated when a Swiss traveling in China ate a meal called Chrysanthemum. It was cooked in boullion and he brought it back with him to Switzertland.

Fondue Bressane

Small cubes of chicken breast are first dipped in cream, then in fine bread crumbs, and finally deep fried as in Fondue Bourguignonne.

Broth or Bouillon

Another style of fondue is a simple vegetable broth or bouillon. Vegetables or small pieces of seafood are dipped into the broth.

Dessert Fondue

For dessert fondue, chocolate is the most popular used product. The chocolate is melted and fruits such as bananas, oranges, strawberries and other berries are used for dipping. Other dessert fondues include marshmallow. caramel, honey and coconut .

Fonduta

Fonduta is an Italian dish that is similar to the Fondue we know. It is made with Fontina egg yolks and cheese

Bagna Cauda
This dish is made by combining butter, olive oil, garlic and anchovies. It is then heated and people use wooden skewers or fondue forks to spear a variety of fresh vegetables which are then dipped.
KaasDoop

This is a Dutch dish, which is a cheese dip. It is similar to the Italian style fondue (fonduta).

Fondue Etiquette

Fondue is a communal meal and with these kinds of dishes, it has its own set of rules or etiquette. First when eating cheese fondue one should put the piece of bread on a fondue fork or fondue spear. Once this is done, you should dip it in the pot. Once here the bread should be twirled into the cheese to coat or cover it. The cheese should drain properly before you place it into your mouth.

When eating you should ensure that the mouth does not touch the fork as this will be going back into the pot. Some people choose to take the speared bread off the fork by using another fork. This might be a bit much and it should be no problem if you eat it properly.
There should be no double dipping. Once you have eaten a piece of the dipped bread, it should not go back into the fondue pot.

For meat fondue you should spear your meat and dip it into the hot oil. Once it is properly cooked you should remove the meat. Once this is done then you can remove the meat from the fork unto your plate. If you plan to dip the meat, then use the fondue fork and eat using your regular fork.
If the bread is lost in the sauce, then it should be left alone.