Cheese Fondue
Lee Dobbins

Defined Tag: Cheese Fondue.

In many parts of the world cheese is viewed as an appetizer or side dish or something to be sprinkled on the main dish.  It's a complement for many main courses as well aside courses.  But in some parts of the world cheese it's considered the main focus.  Many cultures prepare it so that it can be their main meal for a number of days.  One such dish is now becoming popular the world over.

I'm talking about cheese fondue and the unusual but clever history behind the same.

Believe it or not, cheese fondue came about as a method of survival in the bitterly cold Swiss Alps.  Here one could not find me easily for food and natives of this region had to improvise.  So they took all their dairy products and stuck him in one big pot cooking them under a low heat.  This transformed everything into a smooth goo to which they could add seasonings and herbs and even some wine.  The resulting concoction was a satisfying and filling cheese fondue.

Nowadays, cheese fondue is prepared with garlic cloves, corn starch, crusted bread, brandy and white wine together with a hard or semi-hard cheese, often Gruyere or Vacherin cheese, to come up with a truly remarkable and unique flavor. You may find this kind of fondue under the category of soups in most fine dining restaurants in the metro. Indeed, it is such an exotic delicacy that it has made its mark on people who are fortunate enough to have tried the same.

Throughout history fondue has been a food enjoyed only by the upper class.  However in modern times it is been made available to the masses and instant fondues were made available the 1950s but didn't take off until the microwave oven came on the scene.  Nowadays, there are even fancy fondue cookers and many people make a party out of serving fondue.

And with the exquisite taste and experience they provide, it's about time.