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