Fondue is one of the most popular dishes in the world. It is ideal for both a noisy company and a romantic date. It can be ordered in almost any restaurant, or you can easily prepare it at home, having the necessary utensils. However, only sophisticated gourmets know what this national Swiss dish is in the original.
Fondue (fr. "Fondue" from "fonder" - to melt, melt) is a family of dishes from Switzerland, which are usually eaten exclusively in the company. The fondue is cooked in a special pot called kakelon. In Russia, kakelon is simply called "fondue". The classic caquelon is an earthen or ceramic pot equipped with a burner.
Fondue was originally a dish of poor peasants. According to one version, it arose among the villagers who ate only cheese and stale bread. In addition, peasant families usually had very few dishes, so everyone was fed from the same cauldron. To improve the taste of the old cheese, the poor thought of melting it, and dipping stale bread into melted cheese and softening it. After some time, fondue became popular among the aristocracy, only they, of course, used the best varieties of cheeses and wines. In the 50s of the XX century, the dish gained worldwide fame. Since then, many varieties of fondue have emerged, the most famous of which are chocolate fondue and Burgundy fondue.
Traditional fondue is a cheese dish prepared with wine and spices over an open fire. If different types of cheese are mixed in it in equal proportions, then it is called "moitié-moitié", which translates "in half". In a classic cheese fondue, a mixture of cheeses, wine and kirsch (cherry vodka) is seasoned with garlic, nutmeg. Unfortunately, in Russia it is almost impossible to buy kirsch, but when making fondue at home, you can simply refuse it.
For chocolate fondue, melt black, milk, or white chocolate and dip pieces of fruit, cookies, marshmallows, etc. into it. Burgundy fondue is a meat fondue. Steak cubes are cooked in vegetable oil and consumed with sauces.
Fondue is eaten with long forks, on which bread, pieces of fruit, etc. are pricked. According to etiquette, you need to carefully remove the pieces, trying not to touch the fork with your mouth, since everyone is eating from a common pot.
