h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A255881

I ran across this great entry on Fondue that seems like great material for the Edited Guide. So, with FCL-BW's gracious permission, I have posted it here for Peer Review.

Yours,
Jake

PS Now that I think about it, I seem to recall there was a little fondue boom in the USA in the Seventies. You can still see restaurants called the Melting Pot, etc. in the suburbs, although it's not really that popular now.

Not bad at all.
As I recall, I went on a fondue session with some swiss people once and they had a forfeit for losing your bread - you had to kiss the person sitting to your immediate left (the table was conveniently arranged boy-girl-boy-girl etc.). Of course, whether this is a forfeit or not depends on who you're sitting next to!

Hello,

I seem to recall that one of the classics in the Western Canon, the Gallic comic "Asterix in Switzerland" starts off with an orgy involving fondue where the Romans have 3 levels of forfeit: the first time, it's a hit with a stick. The second, a lash of the whip. The third time, thrown into the lake. The fondue gets all over the place and by the end, everybody's covered in cheese.

Yours,
Jake

Nice one.

One Typeo I found: There's no closing bracets to the opening one in the first row of the last paragraph.

You need to insert some space after the ingredients list, it will improve readability no end.

The content here is great and, yes, I do own a fondue pot. And, no, I haven't used it since the '70s. I never tried it with the scnapps trick. (What's the correct version of schnapps for this? I grew up in a home where schnapps was any strong brandy or whiskey. but by preference it was Slivovitz.)

Sent this one to the Sub-Eds.

Barton

Living not far from the part of Switzerland that fondue comes from, it is, of course, a regular part of our diet, being, among other things, a good alternative to a meat dish. BTW - it is indigenous to Neuenburg or Neuchâtel, and the local white wine is the kind traditionally used in the fondue.

The correct schnapps to use is Kirschwasser - cherry schnapps. This is a clear spirit, like vodka.

The Chinese fondue, according to a book I have on the subject, is a pot of simmering vegetable or meat broth in which you boil little bits of vegetable or meat on your fork. The pot of fat in which you fry the lumps of meat is simply called a meat fondue. The main emphasis when serving meat fondue is to have as large and diverse and unusual set of accompanying sauces and salads as possible.

Before doing anything, you are supposed to rub the inside of the pot with the cut side of a half a clove of garlic. You leave both halves in the pot for the entire cooking and eating time. But it hardly makes any difference to the taste just to chuck it in as described in the entry. I've tried both ways and can't tell!

We usually put the schnapps *into* the fondue mixture.

The description of the method is very good, as it makes simple work of what the Swiss always claim is a complicated ritual, which it isn't. You must use at least some Gruyère or the cheese will not homogenise, you get a yellow lump swimming in a yellow liquid. Failing that, this is where the cornflour comes in - to bind this unsightly mixture you stir some cornflour thoroughly into a small glass of schnapps and stir it thoroughly into the cheese.

The Swiss would say that it is cheating to use the cornflour.

In my English cookery book, a very passable alternative is given with cheddar and brandy. Quite honestly, I don't think it matters.

When invited for fondue at a Swiss household, you may well even be served the packet stuff. They have got this down to a fine art.

I cut the cubes of bread (if using a tin loaf) slightly larger - 1" cubes - and toast them on a baking tray in the oven so that the fork stays in better. For a better taste, try diagonally cut and lightly toasted slices of French stick. These then have to be broken into three or four pieces over your plate.

Don't start eating too late, as cooked cheese is very hard to digest and will give you a bad night (this, I have found out to my cost, is NOT an old wives' tale: "Eat cheese for your tea and you'll have bad dreams" we were always told). On the other hand it is hardly the sort of meal you would have for lunch. It should be eaten on long dark evenings in little huts after a hard day's skiing. (As far as I'm concerned you can forget the skiing part)

Sorry - get me on to food and I go on for ages. And you didn't even ask. Anything JCL denies - he gets the benefit of the doubt - after all, he is the one that lives in Switzerland, not me.

I wouldn't disagree with much of this. I'm afraid my role with regard to fondue is that of a consumer and washer-upper, rather than a cook. A tip - washing up the caquelon is a terrible job. The only way to do it is to fill it with cold water and leave it to stand for at least 24 hours. Then you can scrape the little bits of cheese out.

I've never heard of schnapps being added to the mix, but I suppose it's possible for those that don't think the white wine gives it enough 'kick'.

You're right to specify cherry schnapps. Also recommended is pear or Williams schnapps. Using whiskey is just a waste of good whiskey.

I can confirm that fondue definitely was invented in the Savoy region of France. In Switzerland it is however most strongly associated with the Neuchatel region. You're right that Gruyere cheese is the best.

Here in Central Switzerland, they seem to have got Chinese fondue and Meat fondue a little mixed up. What you describe as 'Meat' is here sold as 'Chinese'. At least in the restaurants that I visit.

BTW I had a (cheese) fondue last weekend, courtesy of my mother-in-law. It was excellent.

I find your entry funny, charming, and lovely. I wouldn't change anything and I'm takin' it to recommendation!

Lady Elly
Scout

Congratulations!

Dear researcher- I hereby close this theead! Your entry got accepted and is now going to be editede!
Congratulations!
Good job!

Hooray!

Barton

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

If they have not been along already, the Scout who recommended your entry will post here soon, to let you know what happens next. Meanwhile you can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!