Fondue is a popular party snack.
Fondue was created in the mountains of Switzerland, where impoverished peasants dipped bread into a mixture of melted Gruyere cheese and wine they would concoct in a communal pot. Over the centuries, fondue became a mainstay of Swiss culture, not making it to North America until the 1960s. Today, fondue has adopted a more upscale reputation and a variety of fondue types are often featured at house parties or ritzy, catered events.
Cheese Fondue
Cheese fondue is the most traditional type of fondue and continues to be the most popular variety in Switzerland. Most recipes for the melted cheese come in flavor themes, such as Mediterranean (cheddar cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and beer) or stinking rose (Swiss cheese, garlic and wine). Other types of cheese fondue focus on the flavors of exotic cheeses themselves and consist of cheeses such as havarti or emmental, coupled with a mild wine.
Fondue Bourguignon
Fondue bourguignon (often simply called meat fondue) is a French variant of the traditional cheese fondue. It involves different types of meat morsels, such as slices of steak or roast beef, dipped into different types of oil, broth, or sauces. One example is the dipping of balls of ground beef, mixed with onions and breadcrumbs, and seasoned with spices, such as rosemary or basil, into a pot of barbecue or honey mustard sauces.
Chocolate Fondue
Chocolate fondue is a purely North American creation and is only about half a century old. Chocolate fondue is usually the dipping of fruit or cookies into a warm blend of chocolate (milk, dark or white) and flavorings, such as Irish cream and caramel. This type of fondue is rapidly evolving, and some recipes involve dipping into things such as marshmallow creme, peanut butter and Kahlua. This is also the most popular style of fondue for parties, because of the ease of experimenting with different types of unusual foods.
Exotic Fondue
Due to its relatively new-found popularity, fondue continues to take on new and delicious forms. Eggnog fondue is perhaps on its way to becoming a festive tradition around Christmas. Other variants of the main three fondue types include seafood fondue or reverse fondue, where pieces of chocolate are dipped into a mixture of fruit sauces and purees.
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