What is Chinese Fondue? The word fondue is rooted in the French verb fondre, meaning “to melt.” As with many other well-loved dishes today, fondue started out as a peasant dish. And as usual, accounts of how fondue was developed are varied. In general, the original Swiss fondue eventually led to other variations on the theme, such as the one in this column. The best thing about Chinese fondue is that the ingredients (beef, chicken, tuna, etc) are cooked in a good broth, yielding a much healthier result.

The idea of fondue dates back to Homer’s “Iliad,” which discussed a recipe made from goat’s cheese, wine, and flour. The Swiss developed fondue centuries ago. It was a way of preserving food for use during the winter season. Bread was dried, and dipping it in the melted cheese made it edible long after it was made.

Modern fondue originated during the 18th century and became more popular when the Swiss promoted the use of fondue as a daily dish. Brillat-Savarin, the famous French gastronome, talked about fondue in his 19th century writings. The 20th century brought forth many new varieties and recipes. During the 1950s, the Swiss cheese industry began heavily promoting fondue, and by 1955, the first instant fondue was being produced and sold. American tourists discovered it soon after, in the 1960s. Chef Konrad Egli introduced the method of cooking meat cubes in hot oil at New York’s Chalet Swiss Restaurant. Dessert fondues, such as chocolate fondue, became well liked in 1964 and continue to be popular.

As with any communal dish, etiquette prevails when enjoying fondue. One must use the dipping fork to cook the meat and taking the morsel off the dipping fork to eat. In the Swiss tradition, if a man loses his cube of bread in the cheese, he buys wine for everyone, and if it happens to a lady, she kisses the man on her left. If that ever happens to me, I just hope the man on my left is at least a little bit cute.

The ingredients for this dish are mostly very healthy. The beef is high in protein and if one uses flank steak, it won’t be high in fat. Chicken is one of the most popular foods for many reasons. It is a dieter’s delight due to its low calorie content, and it is economical. Tuna is also low in calories, high in protein, and high in Omega-3 fatty acids.

The best way to ensure that your Chinese fondue is of the highest quality is to produce a good broth, because that will make the difference in how the meat, chicken, and tuna taste. It is always best to start with high quality ingredients, such as fresh meat, fish and chicken. To figure out how much meat is required per person, a good rule of thumb is about 200 grams of meat per person. If there is meat left over, you can use it for lunch the next day.

By Samia Mounts