Fondue

Fondue is a shared pot of melted Gruyère and Emmental, blended with white wine and garlic, into which diners dip pieces of bread. It is a classic Swiss dish, and its name comes from the French verb fondre, to melt.

What it really is

The cheese is melted slowly in white wine, with a cut clove of garlic rubbed around the pot before cooking. Cornstarch is stirred in to thicken the mixture and keep it smooth while it sits over the heat, so that it does not separate into oil and stringy curds. Gruyère gives the sharper flavour and Emmental gives the mild, nutty body. The result is a thick, glossy sauce rather than a solid cheese.

Fondue is a shared dish. Each diner holds a long fork, spears a cube of bread and turns it in the pot until it is coated. The bread is the standard dipper, and the cubes are usually cut with a firm crust so they hold on the fork.

How it's served

• Hot, in a communal pot kept over a small flame at the table, stirred now and then so the cheese stays smooth.
• With cubes of crusty bread on long forks, and often with boiled potatoes and pickled gherkins and onions alongside.
• With the same white wine served by the glass, and the traditional forfeit for any bread that drops off the fork into the pot.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the cheeses, Gruyère and Emmental, and say plainly that it is a cheese fondue, so guests know it is not a meat or chocolate version.
• Flag milk from the cheese, wheat from the bread, and sulphites from the white wine.
• State the price per person and the minimum number of diners, since the pot is shared.
• List what comes with it, such as bread, potatoes and pickles, and say whether gluten-free bread is available on request.