The Shared Pot: A Little History of Fondue and a Table Worth Lingering Over
The bread slips off the fork. Someone laughs and fishes it out while the person across the table claims the last potato. The pot stays warm, the cheese smells faintly of garlic, and no one is in a hurry to clear the plates. If you remember a fondue set brought out for company, perhaps that is the part you remember best: everyone stayed at the table.
The word fondue comes from the French verb fondre, “to melt.” Today it can describe a meal of cheese, a pot of broth for cooking supper, or a warm chocolate dessert. But the cheese pot has a particularly compelling paper trail, and one of its best witnesses was a woman writing in Zürich more than three centuries ago.
Through the Kitchen Window: Zürich, 1699
In 1699, Anna Margaretha Gessner-Kitt wrote down a recipe she called Käß mit Wein zu kochen, “to cook cheese with wine.” Her handwritten cookbook opens a window onto the tastes of Zürich’s upper bourgeoisie: its prosperous city households. That setting complicates the familiar image of fondue as a dish born solely of humble Alpine kitchens.
Her directions begin with half a small glass of wine in a shallow vessel over embers. Add rich, aged cheese, grated or scraped. If it is too soft to grate, slice it thinly. Cook until the cheese melts and the wine no longer tastes distinct. Then dip bread into it. Keep a little heat beneath the vessel, she warns, or the cheese will harden again.
The recipe gives no cheese variety and no measured weight of cheese. It does give us the action at the heart of the meal: bread dipped into warm cheese, with the heat tended so everyone can keep eating. It is an early surviving record of a cheese-and-wine fondue-like dish, not proof that Gessner-Kitt invented fondue.
The name had a wider life, too. In 1735, French chef Vincent La Chapelle published an egg-and-cheese dish called Fonduë de Fromage aux Truffes Fraîches. It was quite different from the cheese-and-wine pot we call fondue today. Food names travel and change, even when the pleasure of melted cheese endures.
Fondue later became a national Swiss emblem. In the 1930s, the Swiss Cheese Union promoted it to encourage cheese consumption. The pot that had a long, varied history became an especially powerful image of gathering around a Swiss table.
Why the Table Matters
A good fondue invites everyone to participate, but it asks the host to work ahead. Once the pot is on the table, no one should need to stop dinner to cut a loaf, wash strawberries, or cook a potato. That preparation buys the host a place at the table, too. The pleasure is in passing a plate, choosing the next bite, and staying in the conversation.
Prepare the pot on the stove according to your recipe, then move it to a stable tabletop heat source suited to that particular vessel. Cheese and chocolate need gentle warmth to stay fluid. A broth intended to cook raw ingredients needs equipment that can maintain an active simmer. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the pot and burner, and keep cords or open flames clear of hands and table linens.
In the pot | Heat at the table | Prepare before guests sit down |
Cheese | A low, steady fondue burner or electric pot setting | Grate cheese; cube bread; cook potatoes and any vegetables that need cooking. |
Broth | A pot and heat source rated to keep the broth actively simmering | Heat broth on the stove; portion dipping foods; separate raw and ready-to-eat utensils if cooking raw meat. |
Chocolate | The gentlest electric setting or a heatproof bowl over warm water | Wash and dry fruit; cut cake; set out pretzels and serving forks. |
You do not need three matching fondue sets. You do need a stable vessel and a heat source that can do the job described in the recipe. A small warmer that merely holds cheese fluid may never bring broth back to a simmer after cold ingredients are added.
Before anyone picks up a fork
Cut bread into sturdy, bite-size pieces. Cook small potatoes until tender; drain them well.
Prepare vegetables according to how they will be served. Cook any vegetable that needs it before it reaches a cheese pot.
Wash fruit ahead of time and dry it thoroughly. Cut bananas close to serving so they look their best.
Arrange sauces, plates, napkins, and dipping forks before guests sit down.
Set aside a separate plate for each person’s cooked food if you are serving a broth or oil fondue.
Keep raw meat and seafood chilled and separate from ready-to-eat food. Use separate utensils for raw and cooked pieces, and check doneness with a food thermometer. Cooking time at the table varies with the size of each piece and the heat of the pot.
Four Ways to Gather Around a Pot
1. Start with melted cheese
Classic Swiss-style cheese fondue is a fine opening for bread, cooked potatoes, and prepared vegetables. Grated cheese melts more evenly; wine contributes liquid and acidity; a little starch helps the mixture stay smooth. Stir gently and keep the pot warm enough for dipping without scorching the cheese.
Classic Swiss-Style Cheese Fondue
Serves 4 as a generous appetizer or light supper | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes
Ingredients
About 2 cups freshly grated Gruyère (227 g)
About 2 cups freshly grated Emmentaler (227 g)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (8 g)
1 garlic clove, halved (about 3 g)
1 cup dry white wine (240 ml), plus 1–2 tablespoons more if needed (15–30 ml)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (5 ml)
1 tablespoon kirsch, optional (15 ml)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper
About 4 cups cubed crusty bread (about 240 g); cooked small potatoes and prepared vegetables, if desired
Method
Prepare the table first. Cube the bread, cook and drain the potatoes, and prepare any vegetables. Place the fondue forks, plates, and a stable, low-heat tabletop burner where everyone can reach them. Make the cheese on the stove, then move the pot to the table.
Grate and coat the cheese. Grate the cheeses yourself, if possible, and toss them together with the cornstarch. The starch helps the melted cheese and liquid stay together. Set the cheese beside the stove so you can add it a handful at a time.
Scent the pot. Rub the cut sides of the garlic over the inside of a heavy fondue pot or saucepan. Discard the garlic or leave one half in the pot for a stronger flavor.
Warm the wine. Pour in the wine and lemon juice. Heat over medium-low heat until steaming and just beginning to simmer. Avoid reducing the wine substantially before the cheese goes in.
Melt gradually. Add a small handful of cheese and stir with a wooden spoon until nearly melted. Continue by handfuls, stirring each addition into the warm mixture. Keep the heat moderate. Once all the cheese is incorporated, stir until smooth and fluid, with a few gentle bubbles. Allow about 8–10 minutes; adjust the heat rather than rushing it.
Finish and serve. Stir in the kirsch, if using, and add nutmeg and pepper. Taste before adding any salt; the cheese may need none. Move the pot to a tabletop burner on low heat. Stir from time to time and dip the bread. If it becomes too thick, stir in a tablespoon of warm wine at a time. If it looks oily or separates, return it briefly to the stove and whisk in 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cool wine and a few drops of lemon juice; heat gently until it comes back together.
Best With: Bread, cooked baby potatoes, blanched cauliflower, apple slices, and cornichons alongside rather than in the pot.
Why kirsch? Kirsch is a clear, dry cherry brandy traditionally added to some Swiss cheese fondues at the end. A tablespoon lends a faint fruit aroma and a little warmth behind the cheese; it should not make the pot taste like cherry dessert. It is optional. The wine, lemon, and starch do the work of keeping this recipe smooth, so leave the kirsch out if you prefer. It is part of this modern classic, not an ingredient named in Gessner-Kitt’s 1699 recipe.
A modern Wilde Garlek take: Keep the shared cheese pot classic. For a savory companion, gently warm ¼ teaspoon Wilde Garlek in 1 teaspoon butter over low heat for 20–30 seconds, then toss it with 1 cup cooked, well-drained baby potatoes just before dipping. The textured garlic blend is more apparent on the potatoes than dissolved in the fondue. Wilde Garlek contains several forms of garlic, onion, chive, celery seed, and pepper.
2. Bring chile con queso to the appetizer table
Chile con queso is a modern fondue-style way to gather and dip, rather than a historical Swiss cheese fondue. Bountiful Bahia brings smoky paprika, cayenne, coriander, and cumin to this version. Its name celebrates a blend inspired by Bahia; it does not claim that queso originated in Brazil. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips and cooked potatoes, and have every dipper ready before the cheese melts.
Bountiful Bahia Chile con Queso
Serves 6–8 as an appetizer | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes
Bloom Classification: Light Bloom + Butter Bloom
Why the Bloom Works: A few seconds in butter opens the blend’s paprika, cumin, coriander, and garlic before the milk and cheese enter the pan. Low heat keeps the ground spices from scorching. Bountiful Bahia already contains salt and cayenne, so taste the finished queso before adding more of either.
Weighted ingredients
1 teaspoon unsalted butter (5 g)
1 teaspoon Bountiful Bahia, plus more only after tasting (about 3 g for the initial teaspoon)
¾ cup evaporated milk (180 ml), plus 1–2 tablespoons to loosen if needed (15–30 ml)
About 2 cups chopped deli American cheese (227 g)
About 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar (113 g)
Sturdy tortilla chips, warm tortillas, or cooked baby potatoes for dipping
Method
Arrange the dippers and set out a low-heat fondue pot or small electric warmer before starting the queso.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in Bountiful Bahia for about 15–20 seconds, just until fragrant; do not brown it.
Whisk in the evaporated milk and warm until steaming. Add the American cheese a little at a time, stirring until melted before the next addition. Add the cheddar by handfuls and stir until smooth. Do not boil.
Taste. If you want a stronger spice note, stir in a small additional pinch of Bountiful Bahia and allow a minute for its flavor to disperse. Add a splash of evaporated milk if the queso is too thick for dipping.
Transfer to the warm pot and serve promptly. Stir occasionally; keep it hot without letting it scorch.
Best With: Tortilla chips, warm tortillas, or tender baby potatoes. A bowl of cooked black beans or browned ground beef can turn the appetizer into a more substantial spread.
Blooming Notes: Keep the bloom brief. The blend includes ground paprika and a little brown sugar, both of which can scorch in an overheated pan.
Ingredient note: Bountiful Bahia contains smoked paprika and cayenne. Readers with pepper allergies should check its ingredient list before using it.
3. Make supper in a simmering broth
In a broth fondue, the pot becomes part of the cooking. Guests lower small, evenly cut pieces into the hot broth, then move the cooked food to their plates for sauces and accompaniments. This can make a leisurely main course, provided the host has portioned everything and explained which utensils touch raw food.
For an easy first supper, set out a well-seasoned simmering broth with fully cooked chicken pieces or shrimp, cooked baby potatoes, blanched carrots, and mushrooms. Let guests warm a bite in the broth, transfer it to their own plates, and choose from a few prepared dipping sauces. This is a serving idea, not a recipe for cooking raw proteins at the table. If you do offer raw meat or seafood, keep it chilled and separate, use dedicated utensils, and check that each portion reaches its safe internal temperature before eating.
A flavorful, balanced broth matters because it seasons each bite and grows richer over the course of the meal. Keep it simmering as guests dip, and add a little hot broth if the level drops. If you want to serve raw ingredients for guests to cook, use a recipe and pot designed for that purpose and check each portion with a thermometer rather than relying on a fixed number of minutes.
4. End with chocolate
Warm chocolate turns fruit and small bites of cake into dessert at the table. Strawberries and bananas are familiar favorites; pretzels bring a little salt and crunch. This pot needs only chocolate and cream. No seasoning is necessary, and nothing gritty needs to interrupt its silky texture.
Simple Chocolate Fondue
Serves 6 | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 5 minutes
Ingredients
About 1⅓ cups semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate (227 g)
½ cup heavy cream (120 ml), plus 1–2 tablespoons warm cream if needed (15–30 ml)
Strawberries, dried after washing; sliced bananas; pretzel twists; marshmallows; and small cubes of pound cake for dipping
Method
Arrange the dippers before melting the chocolate. Pat the berries completely dry and cut the cake into pieces that will hold on a fork. Slice bananas shortly before serving.
Warm the cream in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming, with tiny bubbles at the edge. Do not boil it.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate, let it stand for 2 minutes, then stir gently from the center outward until glossy and smooth. If pieces remain, return it to very low heat for a few seconds, stirring constantly.
Pour into a fondue pot kept on its lowest setting, or serve from a heatproof bowl set over a pan of warm water. If the chocolate thickens, stir in a tablespoon of warm cream. Avoid high heat, which can scorch it.
Best With: Pretzels for a sweet-salty bite, strawberries, banana slices, marshmallows, pound cake, crisp apple slices, and shortbread cookies.
Modern cooks have enjoyed making these pots their own. Alton Brown’s Fondue Vudu combines Gruyère and smoked Gouda with hard apple cider and a hint of curry powder. Ina Garten’s chocolate-orange fondue offers strawberries, bananas, cake, and pretzels for dipping. Their recipes are reminders that fondue can hold tradition and invention at the same table.
From Their Kitchen to Ours
Anna Margaretha did not leave us a menu, a guest list, or a photograph of her table. She left an instruction to keep a little warmth beneath the cheese so it would remain ready for bread. Centuries later, that instruction still makes sense. Cut the bread. Cook the potatoes. Dry the strawberries. Put the pot in the middle, take your seat, and let someone else have the first dip. The best part of fondue may be remembering who sat beside you.
Sources and Further Reading
Zentralbibliothek Zürich, transcription of recipe 46 from Anna Margaretha Gessner-Kitt’s 1699 handwritten cookbook, manuscript Ms P 6071.
Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, “Fondue: the convivial Swiss dish par excellence”.
Swiss National Museum, “Fondue: a ‘natural processed product’”.
Food Network, Alton Brown’s “Fondue Vudu” and Ina Garten’s “Chocolate Orange Fondue”.
Switzerland Cheese Marketing, classic Swiss fondue and fondue preparation guidance.
Switzerland Cheese Marketing, fondue pots and tabletop heat sources.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, safe minimum internal temperature chart.
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