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Let's be honest, dipping things into cheese is fun and delicious.
When people think of fondue, a tasty, cozy, warm, and cheesy experience comes to mind. This wonderful and comforting style dish is perfect for gatherings. Let's dip into some fun with a guide for creating the ultimate cheese fondue party!
First and foremost, some fondue history:
The word fondue comes from the French word fondre, meaning "to melt" Fondue is a dish consisting of a communal pot of melted cheese, often combined with wine, over a small stove to keep the cheese warm and melty. It is eaten by dipping bread or vegetables in with a long skewer.
Fondue was created in Switzerland in the 18th century out of pure necessity. Those who did not have access to fresh foods in the wintertime would save their bread and cheese that they received during the warmer months. Instead of eating the old, stale, unpleasant bread as is, the Swiss people realized that if cheese was heated alongside wine, garlic and herbs over a pot called a caquelon, the warm cheese would soften the stale bread and make it much more palatable. This technique became a wintertime tradition in Switzerland and eventually became known as fondue as it spread in popularity throughout Europe.
Fondue was unknown in the United States until 1964. Fondue was featured at the Swiss Pavilion's Alpine restaurant at the New York World's Fair, and the warm, cheesy dish took off in popularity. Today, there are American restaurant chains devoted solely to serving fondue meals, not only with cheese, but fruit and sweets dipped into melted chocolate, and meats dipped into hot broth!
Besides the cheese, the most important aspect of fondue is the pot for heating the cheese.
After some research online, I discovered the best budget fondue set - the Oster Fondue Pot, Titanium Infused DuraCeramic Fondue Maker for $59.99 on Amazon.
You can make cheese fondue with whichever cheeses you want, but here is a delicious recipe to get you started!
If you're looking to dip into some melty fondue on the fly, there's options for that too:
Traditionalists will love this Original Fondue mix, a popular choice comprising a blend of Gruyere AOP and Emmentaler AOP cheeses. This Fondue selection comes ready-to-use and simply requires heating. The wine, spices and special blend of Fondue cheeses are all included in the sachet.
This unique fondue by Isigny is crafted with three of Normandy's most revered cheeses - Camembert, Pont l’Eveque and Livarot. These are selected by their Master Cheesemaker, who then carefully adds Normandy cider and a hint of Calvados. The resulting fondue is one of a kind and simply divine!
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