Fondue
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Fondue_set.jpg
Several French or Swiss communal dishes shared at the table in an earthenware pot ("caquelon") over a small burner ("réchaud") are called fondue.
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Types of Fondues
Cheese Fondue
Many varieties of cheese fondue exist, each with a unique name and different blend of cheeses, wine and seasoning, depending on where it is made. They are all cooked in a caquelon rubbed with a cut garlic clove. (A small amount of corn starch or flour is added to prevent separation.) Cubed crusty bread is dipped using a fondue fork.
- French Fondue "savoyarde" (from region of Savoie) is a blend of Comté savoyard, Beaufort, and Emmental cheeses.
- Swiss Fondue "Neuchateloise" is a blend of Gruyère and Emmental cheeses.
Fondue recipes are not entirely fixed and vary depending on the cook. In some cheese fondues, potatoes or fruit are served instead of bread.
In a perfect cheese fondue, the mixture is held at a temperature low enough to prevent burning, but hot enough to keep the fondue smooth and liquid. Ideally, when the fondue is finished, there will be a thin crust of toasted (but not burnt) cheese in the bottom of the caquelon. In French, this is commonly referred to as 'la religieuse' ("the nun").
While cheese fondue is a traditionally Swiss dish, its name coming from the French 'fondre' ("to melt"), it was not a common dish until the 1950's, when the slowing cheese industry in Switzerland needed a way to increase sales. Fondue was a perfect solution, permitting a diner to consume a half-pound of cheese in one sitting.
In 1955, the first instant fondue was brought on the market. Modern instant fondues are surprisingly accurate renditions of the homemade product, requiring little more than to be melted in the caquelon just before serving.
Fondue Chinoise (broth fondue)
In this variety of fondue, the diner dips rolled shaved beef into a simmering broth. As with fondue Bourguignonne, dipping sauces are served. Fondue Chinoise is named after its relation to the Asian hot pot.
Fondue Bourguignonne (deep-fat fondue)
In fondue Bourguignonne, small cubes of meat (normally beef) and sometimes vegetables or seafood are skewered on the fondue fork and fried by each person at the table. An assortment of sauces are provided for dipping. (Some fondue restaurant chains also provide flavored batters to coat the food with before frying, but it is not traditional.)
Dessert Fondue
More recently, in the 1960's, dessert fondue recipes have appeared, typically a caquelon of melted chocolate into which pieces of fruit or pastries are dipped.
History
Cheese fondue was invented out of necessity. In the remote and isolated mountain villages in the Swiss Alps people had to rely upon locally made food. During winter, fresh food became scarce. The Swiss found that melting stale cheese made it edible. Local wines and seasonings were added and even the dry and hard bread tasted delicious after it was swirled in the creamy melted cheese.
Etiquette
As with other communal dishes, fondue has etiquette standards ranging from practical to amusing. With cheese fondue it is considered rude to allow one's lips or tongue to touch the fondue fork. With meat fondues one should use a dinner fork to remove the meat from the fondue fork. If the bread or fruit is lost in the cheese, it is tradition for that person to buy a round of drinks.
External links
- "A Classic Swiss Meal: Cheese Puts the Fond in Fondue" (http://www.mwnaturalfoods.coop/mix/index.php?id=6) Includes links to recipesde:Fondue