Secrets of Making and Eating Swiss Fondue

Fondue made with cheese and white wine is a classic Swiss dish. Fondue made with chocolate is its dessert counterpart. Recently, when trying to recreate the delicious fondue we enjoyed high in the Alps a few summers back, I learned a few fondue secrets.

"Swiss" Cheese

Some cultures are prone to disingenuously attaching nationality labels to foodstuffs. French toast? The French folks in Belgium got us back for that big time with Filet Americain. Heh. Heh. How many Americans do you know who eat raw hamburger topped with raw egg?

Unlike the labeling stemming from international ignorance, Swiss cheese is a reasonable facsimile of cheese that could respectfully show its holes in Switzerland. However, it does not belong in a fondue pot. Real cheese fondue in Switzerland is made from a combination of two cheeses: Emmanthaler and Gruyere. If you use the right cheeses, the fondue will taste authentic. If not, it will taste about as authentic as French toast.

Skewers - No Substitute for Fondue Forks

Nine years after moving to our current house, our fondue pot was still packed in the attic. Apparently, we don't eat fondue all that often. When the fondue brainstorm arrived, I dug through packing boxes to find the fondue pot, only to discover that there were no fondue forks. Did we ever own any? I thought we did. But I could not find them. No problem, I thought. We have a lot of skewers; we can use those. Not like we were having dinner guests or anything.

Seemed reasonable enough, until dinner was underway and the kids started swordfighting!

Skewers are no substitute for fondue forks! The trouble of locating or buying fondue forks is well worth the effort, I can attest from our swordfighting display.

Even in the absence of swordfighters, skewers are an awkward substitute for fondue forks.

Temperature

Fondue is supposed to stay hot during the meal but not boil. Boiled cheese sauce of the fondue or any other variety will clump and become unpalatable.