History Of Fondue

Like all truly great food, Fondue was born out of a necessity. It was originally developed in Switzerland in the 18th century where the cold winters kept villagers isolated and without access to fresh ingredients. More often than not this meant eating bread and cheese that was sometimes stale and less than appetizing. In order to appease their stomachs it soon became a common practice to melt the cheese over the fire before eating it. This made the cheese more palatable and it allowed villagers to remain close to their fire throughout the meal which had the added bonus of keeping them warm. It wasn’t long before they realized they could soften their bread by dipping it into the cheese - which also made for a tasty treat. Recipes for Fondue date back to the 1600's and are most commonly attributed to the Neufchatel region. These early styles of Fondue were usually made with Gruyere, a popular cheese from Switzerland, and often included eggs.

Fondue quickly made its way from humble peasant homes to the tables of nobles and royals all throughout Switzerland who began to entertain visiting dignitaries and honorable guests with this popular new dish and soon a love of Fondue had spread all over Europe.

Even though the Swiss are credited with the birth of Fondue - it was the French who gave it a name. The word “fondue” comes from the french verb “fondre” which means “to melt”. It is also a French chef who is credited with bringing Fondue to America. Jean Brillat-Savarin, in the process of fleeing the french revolution, came to the United States and brought with him not only his love of Gastronomy but his love of Fondue as well.

With the help of Savarin, as well as many soldiers and travelers returning to America from the Swiss Alps, Fondue grew in popularity throughout the late 1950’s. It was then that New York chef Konrad Egli came up with the idea of cooking small cubes of meat in hot oil Fondue style and soon after chocolate fondue was debuted at Swiss Chalet in 1964 much to the pleasure of restauarant goers at the time.

Many fun methods and styles of Fondue have since developed and Fondue remains in vogue not only for family occasions and casual affairs but also for corporate events and weddings.