Fondue - the pride of Swiss cuisine

Fondue is generally accepted as a national dish Swiss cuisine... The culinary classic VV Pokhlebkin claims even more: "fondue is the main and practically the only national dish of the Swiss." It makes no sense to argue about the origin of the dish, the truth has been established long ago and reliably, but in the history of the origin and acquaintance of fondue with the world, there are several points that will surely be of interest to curious gourmets.

What later became known as "fondue" was born thanks to Swiss shepherds about seven centuries ago, according to one of the versions of the origin of the dish. On the snow-covered alpine pastures, shepherds took with them bread and cheese, as well as wine, as food, to keep warm in the cold hours. And from the utensils with them there was always an earthen pot "caquelon", in which the remnants of hardened cheese were melted together with wine on the fire. The Swiss dipped slices of bread into this warm, tasty and satisfying mass. This is what the fondue ceremony looked like at the dawn of the invention of this dish.

From fields and meadows, a typical dish of peasant cuisine gradually moved to wealthy houses, where it first became a favorite among servants, and only then fell on the tables of the aristocracy. Of course, for the high society, the dish was prepared from the best varieties of cheese and wine and was accompanied by a rich assortment of the freshest breads.

How exactly at that time the Swiss called their culinary invention, history cannot say for sure. The fact is that the Swiss, unlike their French neighbors, did not pay special attention to the designation of dishes. But the very name "fondue" comes from the French fondre, which means "to melt." Yes, the name of the Swiss dish was given by the French. And this is not surprising if you remember the geographical position of Switzerland. Without a doubt, fondue was served to the tables of the Swiss nobility during feasts on the occasion of the arrival of aristocratic neighbors from Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany and, of course, France. And the French are known for their passion to name everything that deserves culinary attention. In the end, somehow they had to tell their compatriots about the Swiss miracle!

According to another version, fondue appeared in the 18th century in the canton of Neuchâtel. This happened thanks to the clever peasant women, who collected "by the bottom" and melted dried pieces of different types of cheese in a common pot.

Be that as it may, traditional Swiss fondue usually consists of a combination of two cheeses - Gruyere and Emmental, which are drowned in dry white wine, sometimes with the addition of kirsch - cherry vodka. This is the most common recipe as each canton in Switzerland has its own "traditional" fondue recipe. For example, in Freiburg, fondue is made from Gruyere and Vaherine cheeses with the addition of wine and kirsch, but the last ingredients are optional. If the fondue is cooked without wine, the bread is first dipped in plum schnapps and then in melted cheese. In Geneva, fondue is made from three cheeses: Gruyere, Emmental and Walliser Bergkase; morel pieces can be added to Geneva fondue. In Glarus, Gruyere and Chabziger are melted in a sauce of butter, flour and milk. In Eastern Switzerland, a combination of Appenzeller and Vacherin with dry cider is preferred for fondue. In the canton of Vaud (Vaadt), fondue is made from Swiss cheese and garlic. And finally, in Neuchâtel, two-thirds of Gruyere and one-third of Emmental (or in a 1: 1 ratio) are combined with local wine.

The decisive role in the popularization of fondue throughout the world was played by the famous Frenchman Jean Anselm Brija-Savarin.Fleeing the French Revolution, Savarin spent two years in the United States, where he taught French and played the violin in the New York Theater Orchestra. But his true passion has always been cooking and love for French cuisine. It was Savarin who introduced Americans to fondue au fromage, a cheese fondue that has become one of the favorite dishes of the French.

But the general interest in this dish appeared a little later and reached its climax in the 1960-70s, when the popularity of fondue could be envied by pop idols. By this time, there were a great many recipes and variations of fondue, and many of them had a very distant relationship to the original Swiss dish. The same Frenchmen managed to cook fondue without cheese at all! They just warmed up olive oil and cooked pieces of meat in it. This fondue was called Burgundy, and the first to serve it in his New York restaurant "Swiss Chalet" chef Konrad Egli in 1956. A little later, in 1964, Egli presented to the world a new gastronomic miracle - chocolate fondue, which immediately won the hearts of all sweet tooth in the world. Pieces of fruit, berries or biscuits are dipped into the melted chocolate.

Fondue is not just a dish, it is a style of communication; people held friendly and family meetings while preparing fondue. Even certain fondue traditions have been developed. For example, if a woman accidentally dropped her piece of bread into the fondue, she had to kiss all the men sitting at the table, and if a man dropped the piece, he had to buy a bottle of wine. If the same person dropped bread the second time, according to an unspoken rule, the next time he arranged a fondue reception in his house and invited everyone present. At least that's what The Fondue Cookbook is stated by the American publishing house Hamlyn Press. Fondue etiquette itself is simple. A slice of bread (or other garnish) is placed on a long fork and dipped in melted cheese. The fork should be held over the fondue for a few seconds to drain the excess cheese and cool it down a little. The bread should be removed from the fork carefully so as not to touch the fork itself with the mouth - after all, she will have to plunge into the common dish again. In Burgundy fondue, a piece of meat strung on a fork should be kept in hot oil as long as needed to make it cooked, then the piece of meat is removed from the fondue fork onto a serving plate and eaten with a regular fork.

In the 1990s, fondue lost its position somewhat, as the concept of healthy eating came to the fore in food, and it was difficult to apply it to fondue, after all, it is a very high-calorie dish. But experiments with fondue recipes continued, and the result even turned out to be an oriental fondue (Fondue Orientale) - a Burgundy fondue in which oil is replaced with broth, vegetables are usually cooked in such fondue.

Similar Swiss fondue can be found in other cuisines of the world. In Italian cuisine, for example, there are two similar dishes - fonduta and banya cauda. Fonduta is made with fontina cheese and egg yolks, while banya kauda is a hot sauce made from butter, olive oil, garlic and anchovies, in which vegetable pieces are dipped. Something similar to fondue also exists in Holland, a dish called KaasDoop.

Fondue is an excellent dish for winter evenings. Today, fondue is again popular and can satisfy all tastes, since there are a great many fondue recipes - so many that will be enough for every day of a long winter. And even more…
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Here's the recipe for an authentic Swiss fondue:
Fondue "Neuchâtel"
Ingredients:
300 g gruyere cheese
100 g emmental cheese
1 clove of garlic
2 tsp corn starch
200 ml dry white wine
freshly squeezed lemon juice
some kirsch (cherry vodka)
salt, ground pepper to taste

Preparation:
Remove the hard crust from the cheeses, grate the cheeses and mix together.Prepare the bread in advance - cut it into 3 cm cubes and put it in a basket or dish (it is better to take the bread not the freshest, otherwise it will disintegrate in the cheese).

Cut a clove of garlic in half, rub the inner surface of the fondue with one half (then discard the garlic). Put the fondue dish on the burner (if it can regulate the desired level of heat) or on the stove, pour in wine, lemon juice (1-2 tablespoons), add cornstarch. Heat the wine over low heat for a few minutes, then add cheeses, salt and pepper to taste. With continuous stirring, melt the cheeses completely, wait until the mass begins to gently bubble. If the mass seems too liquid to you, add a little more starch; if on the contrary, the mass seems too thick, dilute it with wine. Finally, add some kirsch and stir.

Place the fondue pot on the burner (this will heat the fondue). You can turn off the burner for a while or reduce the heat to the very minimum so that it only heats the container, maintaining the fondue temperature. Put the slices of bread on long portioned forks and dip in the melted cheese.

Well, the main thing is not recipes or cheese, but the atmosphere when, in a circle of friends, in a dim light on a burner, a fondyushnitsa boils and people take turns engaged in sacred rites.

And a little about modern varieties of fondue:

In Switzerland, fondue has preserved the tradition of clubbing to this day. Each guest brings with him a piece of cheese, which the owner rubs or cuts into small pieces with his own hand. Cheese slices or shavings are placed in a pot (ceramic, cast-iron or metal) called "caquelon", and the sides of the pot are pre-rubbed with garlic hogs. First, the fondue is warmed up on the stove: the cheese dissolves very quickly, so it must be continuously stirred "by eight". White wine (about a third of the volume of cheese), salt, pepper, nutmeg, a little starch or corn flour diluted in wine, and a glass of cherry brandy are added to the hot mass. The cauldron is removed from the fire, placed on the burner in the center of the table, and the meal is started. A wine glass, a serving plate and a two-tine fork with a long handle are placed in front of each guest. Slices of toasted wheat bread or boiled potatoes, Parma ham and vegetables are laid out on plates, and the guests, pinning the slices on a fork, dip them in boiling golden cheese. According to the old Swiss tradition, the host offers the most dear guest a crispy "Religieuse" cheese crust remaining on the bottom and walls of the fondue. If during a meal someone present accidentally dropped a fork on the floor or "lost" a piece of bread in the pot, he should be immediately shaken for awkwardness. The "penalties" are supposed to tell the guests a funny story and then present them with a bottle of wine. Well, if you take a bottle or two with you, "Mr." or "Mrs. Awkwardness" didn't guess, they will have to wash all the dishes at the end of the party and clear the sides of the pot of cheese. Upset? Don't, because these funny rules are only for cheese fondue - buttery or chocolate fondues don't have such problems.

No sooner had the Swiss shepherds become proud and enjoyed their "creation" than the nimble French and Italians borrowed their invaluable "know-how" and began to invent their own variations on "fondue" themes. In Italy, there are dishes with the cute name "fonduta". The Italians began to add egg yolks to the hot mixture of local cheeses (parmesan, fontina, grana, provolone and gorgonzola) and dip seafood, mushrooms and poultry pieces into it. The French generally decided that fondue was “not a single cheese” and decided to replace cheese with vegetable oil. It is believed that the oil fondue is the brainchild of the Burgundian monks, who for centuries have not unbend their backs in the monastery vineyards. The poor fellows had absolutely no time to eat, and then they decided to cook something in haste.Poured olive oil into the cauldron, heated it up, and let's dip pieces of meat into it. Upon learning of this, the Swiss were imbued with great respect for the French and christened their fondue "Burgundy". Before frying, it is customary to cut the meat for such a meal into small cubes and dry them thoroughly on a napkin. Meat fondue is served with red and rosé wines, warm crispy bread, salads with bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, celery, basil and fennel, or a side dish of young potatoes with olive oil and green onions.

And over time, another type of fondue, "Chinese", came into fashion in Europe. In the Celestial Empire, this method of cooking meat, vegetables, seafood, and dumplings, which were dipped in boiling broth in tiny tiny wire baskets, has been known since time immemorial. It looks something like this, a massive "pot" of two parts is placed on the table, inside of which there is a fire, such a mini-burzhuyka :) and water is boiling. A bowl with finely chopped meat is placed next to it, most often chicken and lamb, less often pork and veal. The waiter brings a tray, on which, like the artist's palette: brown oil, scarlet pepper sauce, etc. All guests collect a little of this in a bowl, mix and begin to take turns catching pieces of meat, briefly dipping them into a pot of boiling water, then briefly dipping the cooked piece into the mixture in a bowl to cool and season a little, well, then they send it to their destination, to their mouth :) When the meat is all eaten, a very good broth is already obtained in the kettle, it is poured into bowls and also finished. The ceremony, like all Chinese culinary delights, is very lengthy, but very pleasant (judging by the Beijing restaurant).

In the middle of the twentieth century, sweet fondues began to enjoy great popularity. Dark bitter or white, mixed with cream, chocolate is melted in miniature fondue dishes, which are warmed up with an ordinary candle. Pieces of biscuit and fruit, ripe berries, nuts and dried fruits are dipped in hot chocolate and washed down with this exquisite dessert with semisweet champagne or cream liqueur.

Raclette in a modern version "Neighbors stole an invaluable idea long ago, but we are not so simple. We still have something that did not dare to pull off," the thrifty Swiss will notice and will treat everyone to ... raclette. Raclette (from the French "raclette" - coarse grater) is not only a wonderful local cheese, but also the name of the original dishes made from it. And they came up with this very appetizing and very simple treat in the old days in the Swiss Valais. The slices of cheese were laid on a knife blade and heated over the fire, collecting "cheese tears" in a plate with boiled potatoes. Tiny pickled cucumbers, herbs and small onions were served with potatoes covered with melted cheese, and everything was supposed to be eaten in a couple of minutes, washed down with white wine. Nowadays there is no longer any need to melt cheese in the old fashioned way, on a knife, because there are special raclette makers for this. Miniature pans with cheese, vegetables, pieces of poultry or seafood are placed on the burner covered with a special grate. The ready-made appetizer is transferred to pre-warmed plates (so that the melted cheese does not cool down longer) and enjoy "Alpine fun", washed down with dry white wine.