If you are like most of those who tuck cheese away in the fridge for a bit too long,

you’ll be able to appreciate this little bit of a blog about the history of fondue.

Tales tell us that the love of cheese dipping started back in the late 1600’s when early peasants created the recipe to use up old hard cheese and left over bread. Others beg to differ that it was more of a cultural transition that led to new ways to enjoy the fine cheeses found throughout Europe. Whether the art of fondue actually started in Switzerland or France is still up for a good bet, we don’t really mind either way.

Moreover, what most people think of as fondue today (melted cheese with bread cubes, cooked beef in oil, or melted chocolate) are not the fondues of the past. Melted cheese, typically Gruyere, was added to eggs, which were then scrambled. This suggests that the original fondue was actually a form of cheese soufflé.

Since the 1950s, the name "fondue" has been generalized to other dishes in which a food is dipped into a communal pot of liquid kept hot in a fondue pot: chocolate fondue, in which pieces of fruit are dipped into a melted chocolate mixture, and fondue bourguignon, in which pieces of meat are cooked in hot oil; all of which we offer for our guests year-round at our fondue restaurant at Lake Tahoe.

Taking the trend on our own, our chefs at La Fondue on Lake Tahoe’s north shore now offer fondue with broth options– which have been a big hit!

With the cool temperatures on their way in the High Sierra, we’re seeing more locals and visitors alike dipping into our fondue restaurant in Incline Village for a delicious change of pace to the dinner meal.

Come see our new menu items and enjoy a little bit of history with us soon!