I found a photo of myself at thirteen.  I had just moved from North Carolina to Maine, and I didn’t know many people.  I was in King Middle School and turning 13, becoming a real teen.  My parents let me have a teenage party in the basement. It was 1969, and I thought the coolest thing in the world would be to have fondu at my party.  It had alcohol in it.  The old fondu recipe included kirsch  and white wine.   There was only the classic recipe back then.   Emmental,Gruyere, kirsch, white wine, and nutmeg.   Those of us who remember the 60’s remember this taste with fondness. There are friends I have in Portland still who now own their own businesses and have their own families who remember this birthday party with delight.  We danced and felt we were being “bad”.   That taste brings back memories for all of us.  Fondu fell out of popularity for decades after that.   It seems to be coming back in the last couple of years, but of course, in a new way.

            With all the European cheeses now available, fondu has become a very creative thing to do.   A couple of years ago, I was asked to offer fondu at a fiddlehead gathering. I offered a Gorgonzola blue cheese fondu to dip the fiddleheads in.  It was a hit.   Now when customers come in and ask about fondu cheeses, we offer all sorts of possibilities.  You really only need to have good melting cheeses, and also you can expand your dipping possibilities to steak and vegetables  instead of the traditional bread.  I like to try using Leyden, a Dutch cheese with caraway and cumin seed, Raclette, a raw milk,  semi-soft cheese originating in Switzerland but best from France, Gorgonzola, of course, from Italy, and Cheddar.  Alcohol could be beer, red wine, cider, or any variation of white wine. Spicing is wide open.  People are continually experimenting.   Basically, fondu is a blast and we’ve been selling it hot in the winter on our Fondu Fridays, because it is a cold weather comfort food. 

Filed under: Cheese and Meats by kris