FONDUE IN THE SWISS ALPS

Who doesn't appreciate a cheese snack once in a while? For fans of this product, we imagine that you will enjoy it in all its flavors. Well, a dish that is the order of the day in most restaurants and that will make you feel great after a day of sports is fondue. In addition, it is a very simple appetizer to prepare and that you will want at any time of the day. Do you want to know everything about this dish? Keep reading! From its origin to the best restaurants where to try it.

WE GO BACK TO ITS ORIGINS

The truth is that fondue, although it may seem like a trend in recent years, has been around since the 19th century. The first time a fondue recipe appears is in the book by the French cook Jean Anthelme Brillant-Savarin. However, when it acquired a unique role it was in the 1930s in Savoy. It became fashionable and has since become a classic in regional tourism.

FONDUE HIGH IN THE SWISS MOUNTAINS

Switzerland is for many the place of snow and mountains. But Switzerland is also tradition, culture, alpine and cosmopolitan cities. In this incredible country you will be able to live the experience of skiing its slopes and then tasting its gastronomy at the top of the mountains. Melted cheese in the snow, a dream!

Ascend with a cabin at 570 meters of unevenness that separates the departure station of Pisco Chaumont. Views of the Alps and the city of Neuchâtel to enjoy an incredible cheese fondue at the Petit Hotel Chaumont.

Discover the city of Zurich by tram while being served one of the best fondues in the city. You will feel like never before in its historic tram dating back to the year 1930 while admiring the city through its windows.

The next crazy and fun way to try fondue is nothing more and nothing less than in an igloo. Near Adelboden, in the middle of the Alps, an igloo-restaurant appears out of nowhere where they serve delicious fondues. In addition, this place is provided with blankets so that you have a comfortable and comfortable experience.

A delicacy like fondue in the air! The experience of eating one of the most typical Swiss dishes in a cable car while you marvel at the landscape. A perfect plan to do it as a family or a perfect romantic date. Has it all! The cable car ascends from the village of Saas-Fee at nightfall to Spielboden at 2,448 metres.

Currently, most of the typical dishes of the different countries have been spreading and we can enjoy them in our own cities. So don't worry, you won't have to travel to Savoy to try this delicious dish of melted cheese. Keep reading and you'll see!

THE BEST FONDUE IN SPAIN

Each of these restaurants below will serve you the perfect fondue, but in a different way, so if you're a cheese freak, you should try them all.

Let's start with the restaurant Carme El Agua, located in Granada and offering impressive views of the Alhambra and the entire city. In addition to cheese, it has a wide menu of starters that range from pates to Iberian sausages. Its fondue is combined with meat, shrimp, vegetables... Finally, the house fondue combines Emmental, goat, Gruyère and provolone cheese.

We traveled to Valladolid to talk about Le Bistro a French-owned restaurant that, if you are vegan, offers you up to 5 types of fondues, most of which will be suitable. Apart from the cheese you can choose from a variety of main dishes from rice, meat to children's menu for the little ones.

In the capital, the Fondue De Tell is already famous, a Spanish restaurant specialized in this typical Swiss dish. We recommend ordering the baco fondue, which consists of a delicious fondue of meat broth and wine with cubes of meat for dipping.

In the restaurant that we are going to mention below, its name already tells us that its best dish there is fondue. The Valencian restaurant La Founde offers a menu where you can eat consommé in sherry and Norwegian omelette, as well as three types of fondues, one with gorgonzola, another with emmental and Gruyère, and another with meat. Also, if you still have room for a dessert, we recommend that you order the chocolate fondue.

To finish, we moved to Girona, specifically to the restaurant La Formatgeria de Llivia with six types of fondues, each one made from a different type of cheese. They can also serve you a grill full of different meats.

I imagine that after reading these restaurants you will be looking forward to trying them all, so now you know, start your fondue route from Granada to Girona!

THE SIMPLE ELABORATION OF THE FONDUE

The elaboration of this appetizer is tremendously simple, in the end it is just melted cheese with bread. However, the simplest dishes are always the most difficult to make delicious.

First of all, we will cut a garlic in half and smear the walls of the container or fondue with it.

Take a glass and mix white wine with cornstarch and add it to the fondue. Depending on your taste, you can add Kirsh or cherry liqueur to give it even more flavor.

We come to the third step and the most complicated. We put the fondue on the fire and add the grated cheeses or cut into small pieces . Let's stir everything with a wooden spoon until the cheese melts without boiling. You have to see how thick or liquid it becomes. For this we will add more wine if it is very thick or more cheese and cornstarch if it is very liquid.

Finally, when we have reached the right texture we can add the nutmeg and ground pepper. It is not necessary, but it is recommended, to have a burner to place them on the table and the fondue on top. This makes the plate stay hot while we eat.

INGREDIENTS

• 400g gruyère cheese
• 400 g emmental cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• 300 ml of white wine
• 50ml kirsch or cherry liqueur (optional)
• 3 tablespoons of cornstarch (cornstarch)
• Nutmeg to taste
• White pepper to taste

To accompany:

• Bread
• Cooked or steamed potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Steamed mushrooms
• Grapes

CURIOSITIES ABOUT THE FONDUE

Fondue already has a long history and over the years a series of curiosities have emerged that you cannot miss from this typical Swiss dish.

The fondue, either cheese or chocolate, has been used to celebrate the famous friend's day. For those of you who don't know it, it is a day dedicated to celebrating friendship and in some places, fondue is used so that everyone can eat from the same plate.

Apart from this, it is typical while eating fondue to play a game that consists in whoever drops a piece of bread must pay for it with some punishment that the rest of the diners give them .

The last of the curiosities to mention is that there is a little-known instrument to collect the pieces that have fallen into the pot. It is a mini strainer.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

• WHAT DOES FONDUE MEAN?

Fondue comes from the French verb fondre which means to melt and what is necessary to make this dish is a pot called a caquelon.

• WHAT TYPES OF CHEESES ARE IN THE FONDUE?

The types of cheeses used in the fondue are gruyère, emmental, roquefort, cabrales, tetilla, vacherin and edam. The list of cheeses is really extensive and all existing ones could be used.

• WHAT KIND OF POT IS BEST FOR FONDUE?

The most favorable type of pot for fondue is the one that has been made from stainless steel. One of its advantages is that it keeps the heat much longer than others.

• WHAT KIND OF ALCOHOL IS USED FOR FONDUE?

The type of alcohol used for fondue is usually krisch, which is a cherry liqueur, but it can be another liqueur, such as white wine or cava.

• WHAT IS A RACLETTE?

Raclette is a very popular Swiss dish in Savoy that is based on heating cheese on a griddle and then scraping it once it has melted.

• WHAT KIND OF CHEESE IS RACLETTE?

Swiss raclette cheese is a type of fine melting cheese, semi-hard and created from raw or pasteurized cow's milk, without additives, with a minimum maturation of three months.

• WHAT CHEESE REPLACES RACLETTE?

The cheese that replaces raclette is jarlsberg, which is normally melted in sandwiches and used as fondue, so it would be the most valid alternative.

• WHAT ARE THE PROPERTIES OF CHEESE?

The properties of cheese is that it is a food rich in vitamins A and D, both of which help to absorb calcium and maintain healthy bones and teeth. In addition, it also contains B vitamins.

• WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF OVEREATING CHEESE?

The negative effects of eating cheese in abundance are the increase in cholesterol, being overweight and raising blood pressure.

• WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN SWITZERLAND?

The most beautiful city in Switzerland is Bern, the capital, which is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, one of the cities that you cannot miss in Europe.