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Fondue

Fondue is a Switzerland|Swiss communal dish shared at the table in an earthenware pot (''caquelon'') over a small burner (''rechaud''). The term is derived from the French verb ''fondre'' (''to melt''), in the past participle ''fondu'' (''melted''). Diners use forks to dip bits of food (most often bread) into the warm semi-liquid sauce (commonly a cheese mix). Heat is supplied by a Candle wick|wicked or gel Portable_stove#Simple single-burner designs|alcohol burner, or a tealight. While cheese fondue is the most widely known, there are other pot and dipping ingredients.

History

A recipe for a sauce made from Pramnos wine, grated goat's cheese and white flour appears in Scroll 11 (lines 629-645) of Homer's ''Iliad'' and has been cited as the earliest record of a fondue. Switzerland|Swiss communal fondue arose many centuries ago as a result of food preservation methods. The Swiss Staple food|food staples bread and raclette-like cheese made in summer and fall were meant to last throughout the winter months. The bread aged, dried out and became so tough it was sometimes chopped with an axe. The stored cheese also became very hard, but when mixed with wine and heated it softened into a thick sauce. During Switzerland's long, cold winters some families and extended groups would gather about a large pot of cheese set over the fire and dip wood-hard bits of bread which quickly became edible. Modern fondue originated during the 18th century in the Cantons of Switzerland|canton of Neuchâtel. As Switzerland industrialized, wine and cheese producers encouraged the dish's popularity. By the 20th century many Swiss cantons and even towns had their own local varieties and recipes based on locally available cheeses, wines and other ingredients. During the 1950s a slowing cheese industry in Switzerland widely promoted fondue since one person could easily eat half a pound of melted cheese in one sitting. In 1955 the first pre-mixed "instant" fondue was brought to market. Fondue became very popular in the United States during the mid-1960s after American tourists discovered it in Switzerland.

Preparation

There are many kinds of fondue, each made with a different blend of cheeses, wine and seasoning, mostly depending on where it is made. The ''caquelon'' is first rubbed with a cut garlic clove, then wine and cheese slowly added until melted. A small amount of potato starch (or corn starch, cornflour or flour) is added to prevent separation and the fondue is almost always further diluted with either kirsch, beer, black tea, and/or white wine. The most common recipe calls for 1 deciliter|dl (100 Litre|ml) of dry white wine per person and a 200 gram|g mix of hard (such as Gruyère (cheese)|Gruyère) and semi-hard (such as Emmental (cheese)|Emmental, Vacherin (cheese)|Vacherin or raclette) cheeses: The mixture must be stirred continuously as it heats in the ''caquelon''. Crusty bread is cut into cubes which are then speared on a fondue fork and dipped into the melted cheese.

Temperature and ''la religieuse''

A cheese fondue mixture should be held at a temperature warm enough to keep the fondue smooth and liquid but not so hot as to allow any burning. If this temperature is held until the fondue is finished there will be a thin crust of toasted (not burnt) cheese at the bottom of the ''caquelon''. This is called ''la religieuse'' (French for ''the nun'', more or less). It has the texture of a thin Cracker (food)|cracker and is almost always lifted out and eaten.

Cheese fondues

Swiss

- Neuchâteloise: Gruyère (cheese)|Gruyère and Emmental (cheese)|emmental.
- Moitié-moitié (or half 'n half): Gruyère and Fribourg Vacherin (cheese)|vacherin.
- Vaudoise: Gruyère.
- Fribourgeoise: Fribourg Vacherin (cheese)|vacherin wherein potatoes are often dipped instead of bread.
- Fondue de Suisse centrale: Gruyère, Emmental and sbrinz.
- Appenzeller: Appenzeller (cheese)|Appenzeller cheese with cream added.
- Tomato: Gruyère (cheese)|Gruyère, Emmental (cheese)|Emmental, crushed tomatoes and wine.
- Spicy: Gruyère, red and green peppers, with Chili pepper|chili.
- Mushroom: Gruyère, Fribourg vacherin and mushrooms.

French alpine

- Savoyarde: Comté (cheese)|Comté savoyard, Beaufort (cheese)|beaufort, and emmental.
- Jurassienne: Mature or mild Comté (cheese)|comté.

Italian alpine

- Fonduta: Fontina cheese|Fontina, milk, eggs and truffles, known as Fonduta valdostana in the Aosta valley and Fonduta piemontese in Piedmont, both in northern Italy.

Instant

Refrigerated fondue blends are sold in most Swiss supermarkets and need little more than melting in the caquelon. Individual portions heatable in a microwave oven are also sold.

Other fondues

Meat

- Fondue Bourguignonne consists of a fondue pot filled with hot oil into which diners dip pieces of meat to cook them. Various sauces are provided on the side. The earliest published mentions of this dish seem to have been made in the mid 1950s.It first appears in Google Books in 1957 and in Google News in 1958
- Bressane: Small cubes of chicken breast are dipped in cream, then in fine bread crumbs and at last deep fried, as with a bourguignonne.
- Chinoise (or Court Bouillon): Rolled shaved meat (traditionally beef) is dipped into a simmering broth. As with a bourguignonne, dipping sauces are served. This dish is still somewhat like a Chinese hot pot (''huoguo'' in Chinese, or steamboat (food)|steamboat, which is popular across Asia). At meal's end, the much flavoured broth may be served to the participants, with or without sherry wine.

Dessert

Dessert fondue recipes began appearing in the 1960s. Slices of fruit or pastry are dipped in a caquelon of melted chocolate. Other dessert fondues can include coconut, honey, caramel and marshmallow.

Etiquette

As with other communal dishes fondue has an etiquette which can be both helpful and fun. Most often, allowing one's tongue or lips to touch the dipping fork will be thought of as rude. With meat fondues one should use a dinner fork to take meat off the dipping fork. A "no wikt:double-dip|double-dipping" rule also has sway: After a dipped morsel has been tasted it should never be returned to the pot. In longstanding Swiss tradition if a nugget of bread is lost in the cheese by a man he buys a bottle of wine and if such a thing happens to befall a woman she kisses the man on her left.Fondue 101 GuideDigsMagazine.com | how to have a fondue party Lately, rather more humorous twists on this have shown up in Switzerland such as young diners diving into the snow whilst clad only in underwear. Those who succeed in following the etiquette of fondue can share the cheese cracker-like ''la religieuse'' left at the bottom of the emptied caquelon. In Switzerland children sometimes squabble over this.