"La fondue crée la bonne humeur"
(Fondue puts you in a good mood)
so who can claim the honor of “discovering” Fondue?
Was it the 12th century Italian monk VACARINUS who evaded the strict rules that forbade monks from eating hard cheese during Lent fasting by heating up and melting his cheese, thereby turning it into a "cheese soup" so therefore allowed during periods of fasting?
OR
Was it because years ago, Alpine dwellers were poor, winters long and cold, bread became stale and the cheese hard.
By dipping the bread in melted cheese, the bread was softened and became edible and so fondue became a winter tradition.
The Kappel “milk soup” is considered the origin of the fondue ritual.
1529 - Civil War between Catholics and Protestants in Switzerland ended with a truce.
While the leaders negotiated, the soldiers gathered around a large pot.
The Catholics contributed the milk, the Protestants the bread - and everyone dipped their spoons in the soup together.
The first written recipe for fondue appeared in the cookery book of Anna Margaretha Gessner from Zürich published in 1699.
It includes a recipe for melted cheese with wine in which dark bread is dipped.
An 18th century French cookbook includes a recipe for fondue that specifies Gruyère cheese - that is very definitely a Swiss cheese so the Swiss claim the honor of introducing fondue to the world.
Switzerland's oldest cookbook whets modern appetites:
1930s - Swiss Cheese Union campaigned to increase cheese consumption.
After WW II and end of rationing, the Swiss Cheese Union resumed its successful campaign, now promoting fondue as the "Swiss national dish" and as a symbol of Swiss unity and national identity.
Once Fondue made its way into the cookbooks of the Swiss military, it truly became a national dish.
1964 - Fondue came to the USA, the world’s largest cheese market, at the 1964 New York World's Fair when it was served at the Swiss Pavilion's Alpine restaurant.
