If you don’t like it, fondue is indeed a dish that we owe to the Swiss, specifically from the canton of Fribourg. In the early 18th century, farmers in the Fribourg Alps reused leftover cheese and stale bread from their previous meals. Economical and very nutritious, the recipe quickly spread to the rest of the country.
The recipe was formalized by Brillat-Savarin, a French gastronome (who also gave his name to the famous cheese) who wrote the first recipe in 1794 based on Gruyère, egg, and butter. Wine was not included in the recipe until 1911.
The turning point in fondue history is 1940 at the New York World’s Fair, when the Swiss company displayed its new fondue pot model and offered visitors the chance to taste the famous fondue. This solidified its status as a proud Swiss emblem worldwide.
The fondue known as "Savoyarde" consists of three cheeses, not all from Savoy, but so good! Comté from the Jura, Swiss Emmental, and Beaufort.
Each region has its own recipe, with local cheeses and specialties, making fondue also a culinary journey. Personally, my favorite is the Valdôtainne Fondue, an Italian one, creamy and generous like its cheese: Fontina.
There is a wide variety of recipes for "fondue mode" including fish, vegetables, or meat, fondue bourguignonne, fondue Bressane, Chinese fondue, Japanese fondue, marine fondue, ocean fondue, Vietnamese fondue, vigneronne fondue, red wine fondue, and even chocolate fondue! Lastly, fondue is a bit of a state of mind!
So don't hesitate to vary pleasures and cheeses, to go beyond traditions—it's up to you to invent your own fondue recipe!
