Fondues and fondon’ts to enjoying a culinary treat!
Fondue pots may make you think of naff ‘70s dinner parties and cheesy parlour games, but they’re making a comeback. HISTORY
Think fondue, and chances are you’ll think of its Swiss heritage, how peasants in the mountains created it as a means of using up stale cheese and bread and staving off winter. However, it has a far more storied past than that. First mention of it is in Homer’s Iliad – he sings of a melted mixture of wine, grated goat’s cheese and flour.
We can credit the Swiss for modern fondue. Melted cheese cooked in a pot over an open flame was first recorded in Canto de Neuchatel and created out of necessity: stale cheese and bread was too hard to eat, but melt the cheese mixed with wine over a fire – edible and delicious. And the rock-hard bread yields to the cheese.
You can indulge in fondue bourguignonne, where cubed, raw beef is submerged into a fondue of boiling oil, cooking nearinstantly. or, for the sweettoothed, a chocolate fondue. Dunking marshmallows or cubed fruit into rich melted chocolate is dessert as it should be.
FONDUES AND FONDONT’S
For cheese fondues, the fromage selection is your paramount concern.
Of course, if you have stale cheese ends in your fridge, throw them in - that’s the essential point, after all.
Beyond that, opt for wellripened cheeses, such as gruyère, comte, or reblonchon.
They will melt more readily.
When it comes to chocolate fondue, you can’t really screw this up. Just throw the ingredients into your pot and allow them to melt, and you’ll be engaged in a Willy Wonkastyle dessert in no time.
FONDUE POTS
There are key factors to consider when buying a pot.
How does it heat? Is itis electric or manual? What is is made of? There’s a choice of stainless steel, ceramic, or enamelled cast iron. What size? This will be determined by whether you’re looking for fondue à deux, a small family, or looking to host a party.
OUR FAVOURITES
Ruffoni Limited Edition Opus Prima Candle and Gel Warmer, £165 from Harrods. This Italian stainless steel candle powered warmer will make for an evocative centrepiece on your table. Ideal for sweet, chocolate fondue desserts for two.
1.8l Stainless Steel Fondue Set, £109.99 from Wayfair. This electric set is a doddle to use – indeed, the kids can create the melted mixture themselves – and takes the risk out of dunking your bread. Non-stick and stainless steel, it lasts well, and with temperature control to keep your concoction perfectly melted for as long as you require it.
Artesa Chocolate & Cheese Fondue Set,
£57.50 from Oliver Bonas. This is our favourite looking fondue pot of the ones we tried. With a hammered metal copper pot, it looks lush, and sits upon a stainless steel burner, allowing for even heat distribution.
Staub Mini Fondue Set in Cherry, £78 from Amara. We’re big fans of the cast iron option. They look great, will last you through a nuclear winter, and are terrific for even heating. This mini set, resplendent in cherry red, is ideal for a cosy cheese night with your flatmates.
Jumbo Fondue Set, £82 from Not on the High Street. Author David Sax attributes the popularity of the fondue pot in the 60s and 70s to “the advent of the pill and swinging. Fondue cannot be enjoyed solo.”
We’re certainly not advocating that kind of party – especially in the current global climate – but fondue is terrific fun enjoyed with a crowd. This set is large enough for a bigger family, and runs on chaffer gel, meaning it will last for your games.