| Several years ago, I worked for a company that had | | | | Fondue Bourguignon, on the other hand, was a |
| a corporate office in Belgium, and some Belgian | | | | French creation. Born out of necessity, a medieval |
| employees came and visited our local office on a | | | | monk by the name of Johann du Putzxe came up |
| business trip. As I was chatting with one of them, | | | | with the idea. He worked in the vineyards of |
| the subject of fondue came up. I offhandedly | | | | Burgundy and needed a convenient way to have |
| mentioned this favorite fondue restaurant of mine, | | | | lunch while he harvested the grapes. A pot filled with |
| and raved about the delicious chocolate fondue | | | | hot oil set nearby where he could dunk & cook tasty |
| dessert. | | | | morsels of meat while he worked was the solution. |
| Across his face came a look of incredulous horror. He | | | | Today, there are several different kinds of fondue |
| had the same expression I must have had when I | | | | sets available on the market. There are burners that |
| saw spam sushi in Hawaii for the first time. For him, | | | | are heated by tea lights, butane, alcohol & electricity. |
| the only proper fondue was cheese fondue, and a | | | | For cheese and chocolate fondue, a traditional pot |
| chocolate fondue was just a wrong, unnatural thing. | | | | called a caquelon is used. This is typically made from |
| Any notions of Americans being a savage, uncultured | | | | ceramic or earthenware. An enameled iron or copper |
| and decadent people must have been confirmed in | | | | pot is used for Fondue Bourguignon. |
| his eyes. | | | | If you don't want to deal with the mess and hassle |
| Nevertheless, we have chocolate fondue, and I am | | | | of making fondue at home (the fondue pots can be |
| forever grateful for it. Specifically, we have Konrad | | | | difficult to clean after a meal), there are many |
| Egli to thank, a Swiss(!) chef who created it for New | | | | restaurants that specialize in fondue that you can go |
| York's Chalet Swiss restaurant in 1964. He had earlier | | | | to. My favorite, La Fondue in Saratoga, California, is |
| already started to popularize the more traditional | | | | whimsically decorated, with a romantic, slightly gothic |
| fondue through his restaurant by featuring both the | | | | ambiance that looks like the kind of place La Cirque |
| cheese style and the method of cooking meat cubes | | | | du Soleil would go to for lunch. |
| in hot oil (Fondue Bourguignon). | | | | Many styles of cheese fondue are available, such as |
| Well, with the introduction of the chocolate element, | | | | Mediterranean (cheddar, beer & sun-dried tomatoes) |
| the craze really took off. Fondue became a popular | | | | and Stinking Rose (Swiss, wine & garlic). For the |
| menu item at American dinner parties throughout the | | | | Fondue Bourguignon, exotic meats such as wild boar |
| 60's and 70's, and is starting to become popular again. | | | | and ostrich are offered, as well as tasty dipping |
| Fondue originally came from the mountains of | | | | sauces. |
| Switzerland, where poverty-stricken peasants had | | | | The chocolate fondue, though, is to die for. Along |
| little to sustain them except for Gruyere cheese, | | | | with your choice of chocolate (milk, bittersweet or |
| bread loaves and lots of wine. Poor peasants. Making | | | | white) and flavorings (Amaretto, Irish Cream and |
| do of these meager ingredients, they combined them | | | | others), you can dunk in pieces of snicker bars, |
| to create what became the traditional fondue, | | | | marshmallows, strawberries, apples, bananas & |
| melting the hard cheese with the wine in a communal | | | | sponge cake. |
| earthenware pot, and taking turns dipping the bread | | | | Bring a large appetite when you come here, so you |
| into the tasty mixture. | | | | have room for all the delectable courses. |