A hot cheese dip.
The fondue, a dish/punishment invented by the Swiss, is essentially a pot of molten oil, cheese or chocolate into which feckless guests are forced with spindly forks to thrust and withdraw morsels of food, morsels so tiny that you burn more calories attempting to get them out of the pot than they end up supplying you with anyway. Modelled, no doubt, on the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, the fondue takes its name, via French, from the Latin word fundere, meaning to melt. Other words that derive from this melting sense of fundere include foundry, a place where molten metal is cast into forms, and confound, literally meaning to melt together. The Latin fundere could also be used, however, to mean to pour, and it was this pouring sense of the word that gave rise to profound, literally meaning to pour forth, and refund, literally meaning to pour back. All these words are much older than their relative fondue, which entered English only about a hundred years ago.
A sizzling delicacy prepared by fusing melted cheese and wine, in which slices of bread are dipped and savored using one’s hands, is recognized as fondue. The baked variation of this dish features eggs and bread crumbs.
A delicacy originating from Savoy and Switzerland, fondue is a savory dish prepared using melted cheese, along with wine and flavorings. This dish is available in numerous variations, and is a popular choice for casual get-togethers. Recipes for sweet fondues are also obtainable. Fondue Bourguignonne, a French dish, features bite-sized cubes of tender steak skewered on a long fork and cooked in hot oil, served alongside an assortment of sauces. Alternatively, chicken pieces, shrimp, and scampi may also be used.