History of Fondue

Long Swiss winters isolated villagers and soon food stocks were depleted down to locally produced wine, cheese, and bread. Cheese became dry, and the bread too hard to bite into. The earliest record of melting cheese in wine for dipping bread chunks dates back Zurich, 1699 and was a regular practice in the 18th Century. An earthenware pot called "caquelon" was placed over heat, and this peasant-style way of communal dining became a tradition.

"Fondre," to melt, is a French word. A French cookbook published in1825 claims fondue as part of their early culture. However the details work out, it was the servants who introduced cooking with fondue pots to the royal and elite. Visiting dignitaries dined from fondue pots and took the custom home with them to Austria, Italy, Germany, and France (ah, the French connection, fondue au formage).

The Road to America
After WWII, American soldiers took their R&R in Switzerland; Americans traveled to the Alps on vacation, and fondue pot cooking became popular in New York restaurants. The Fondue Bourguignonne method of cooking small pieces of meat in oil emerged, and by the mid '60s, chocolate fondue teased palates around the world.

The '70s brought us the harvest gold and avocado green fondue pots, and single dipping was the fad. The fondue pot fad ran its course, the gold and green pots sold for a dollar at garage sales, and all was quiet until the revival just a couple of years ago.

In this latest rebirth, fondue pots and fondue buffets are featured at weddings, art shows, and independent film openings. Fondue pots create an interactive dining experience. We've come a long way from the traditional Swiss two-cheese (Gruyere and Emmenthaler) fondue.