[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":391},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:swiss-cheese-fondue":3,"recipe:country:switzerland":174},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":71,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":78,"difficulty":79,"course":80,"diet":82,"mainIngredients":84,"ingredients":88,"instructions":128,"nutrition":154,"images":161,"keywords":165,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"swiss-cheese-fondue","Fondue Moitié-Moitié (Swiss Melted Cheese Pot)","Fondue moitié-moitié","fon-DEW mwah-tyay mwah-tyay","switzerland","Fribourg and the Romandie","🫕","The Fribourg standard: equal weights of aged Gruyere and soft Vacherin melted with dry white wine, garlic and kirsch, kept just below a simmer and eaten with bread on long forks.","Fondue moitie-moitie is the half-and-half version of Swiss cheese fondue, built from equal weights of aged Gruyere and Vacherin Fribourgeois melted into dry white wine. The Gruyere brings the deep, nutty, faintly salt-crystal flavour of a wheel aged close to a year; the Vacherin brings fat, softness and a barnyard tang, and it is the reason the finished pot is creamy rather than stringy. Seasoning is deliberately minimal — a garlic clove rubbed round the pot, a grind of pepper, a scrape of nutmeg and a shot of kirsch — because the point is to taste two cheeses, not a sauce. It is eaten straight from the caquelon in the middle of the table over an hour or more, each person spearing a cube of day-old bread and turning it through the cheese. Nothing else is served with it except a glass of the same wine and, if you are being traditional, hot tea.","Melted cheese with bread is old peasant thrift, and versions of it exist all along the Alpine arc. What made fondue Swiss in the national sense is much more recent. The dish as we know it — cheese, wine, starch, a communal pot — was written down in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the French-speaking cantons, and then pushed hard in the twentieth by the Swiss Cheese Union, which promoted fondue as the national dish through advertising, army rations and slogans. That marketing history is well documented and slightly deflating, but it does not make the food less good or less real: the cantons involved had been eating something like it for a very long time before anyone thought to brand it.\n\nMoitie-moitie belongs specifically to Fribourg, the bilingual canton that produces Vacherin Fribourgeois. Other regions guard their own ratios and additions with genuine seriousness. Vaud tends toward all Gruyere. Neuchatel adds more wine and a splash of its own white. In Geneva and parts of Vaud you meet fondue with three cheeses; in Appenzell the local rind-washed cheese takes over; and fondue a la tomate, with tomato blended into the base, is a common household variation that purists tolerate rather than endorse. There is no single correct Swiss fondue, only many strongly held local ones.\n\nThe table rituals are as fixed as the recipe. The pot sits on a small burner so the cheese stays warm and just barely moving. You keep your fork travelling in a figure of eight so the cheese does not separate, you never put the communal fork in your mouth, and if your bread falls off into the pot the traditional penalty ranges from buying the next bottle to a cold plunge in the nearest lake, depending on how much of the wine has already been drunk. At the very bottom, when the pot is nearly empty, a thin sheet of cheese toasts against the ceramic into a chewy golden crust called la religieuse — the nun. It is scraped up, torn into pieces and shared, and regulars will tell you it is the best part of the entire meal.",[15,16,17,18],"Half Gruyere, half Vacherin — the Fribourg ratio that gives a creamy pot instead of a stringy, greasy one.","Cornstarch slaked in kirsch and stirred in at the right moment, which is what actually stops a fondue from splitting.","Explains the temperature window in plain terms, so the cheese never boils and never seizes.","Includes how to deliberately build la religieuse, the toasted crust at the bottom of the caquelon.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Grate the cheese rather than cubing it. Grated cheese melts before the wine has time to overheat, which is half the battle against separation.","The wine must be genuinely dry and acidic — a Chasselas, Fendant, Muscadet or dry Riesling. A soft, fruity, low-acid white lets the cheese clump.","Never let the pot boil. You want the surface trembling and steaming with the odd lazy bubble; a rolling boil squeezes the fat out and you get an oily layer over rubbery strands.","Use bread at least a day old and cut it so every cube keeps a bit of crust — crustless soft bread disintegrates on the fork.","If the fondue does split, take it off the heat, whisk hard, and add a teaspoon of cornstarch slaked in a tablespoon of cold wine or lemon juice. It usually comes back.","Do not cover leftovers and reheat in the microwave. Warm them slowly in a pan with a splash of wine, whisking, or the texture is gone.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Vacherin Fribourgeois","Raclette cheese, young Appenzeller, or a mild Fontina","You need a softer, higher-moisture melting cheese to balance the aged Gruyere. Fontina is the easiest to find outside Switzerland and behaves very similarly, though it is milder.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Kirsch","A tablespoon of lemon juice, or leave it out","Kirsch adds aroma and a little extra acidity. Without it the fondue is slightly flatter but perfectly good; without any acid at all it is more likely to clump.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Dry white wine","Unsweetened apple juice or cloudy cider with an extra tablespoon of lemon juice","For an alcohol-free pot. It comes out sweeter than the original and needs the added acid to keep the cheese emulsified.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Fondue vaudoise","All Gruyere, no Vacherin. Sharper, saltier and more assertive, and the standard in the canton of Vaud.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Fondue a la tomate","A ladle of crushed tomato and a little tomato paste stirred into the base. Common in Swiss homes, sweeter and more sauce-like, and often served with boiled potatoes as well as bread.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Fondue aux champignons","Sauteed mushrooms folded in near the end, which suits an autumn table and stretches the cheese further.",[50],"Day-old country bread cut into crusted cubes, cornichons and pickled onions on the side, and the same dry white wine you cooked with.","Fondue is meant to be finished in one sitting, but leftover cheese keeps 2 days refrigerated in a covered container and sets solid. Reheat it slowly in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of white wine, whisking constantly until it flows again; do not let it boil. Cold set fondue is also excellent spread thickly on bread and grilled until blistered. Do not freeze it — the emulsion breaks on thawing and cannot be rescued.",[53,56,59,62,65,68],{"question":54,"answer":55},"Why did my fondue turn stringy and oily?","The cheese got too hot. Above a gentle simmer the proteins tighten into strands and squeeze out their fat, leaving an oily film over a rubbery mass. Keep the pot just below a simmer, add the cheese in handfuls off a fierce heat, and make sure there is enough acid from a dry wine plus the starch slurry to hold the emulsion together.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"What does moitie-moitie actually mean?","It is French for half-and-half, and refers to the cheese ratio: half Gruyere and half Vacherin Fribourgeois by weight. It is the classic Fribourg formula. Other cantons use different mixes, and a fondue made only with Gruyere is a fondue vaudoise rather than a moitie-moitie.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Do I need a proper caquelon and burner?","A caquelon is a glazed earthenware pot that holds heat evenly and lets the bottom layer toast into a crust. A heavy enamelled cast-iron pot works nearly as well. What you genuinely need is a way to keep the pot warm at the table — a small spirit or tealight burner — because fondue left on a cold table stiffens within minutes.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"Which wine should I use in the pot and in the glass?","A crisp, dry, high-acid white. In Switzerland that means Chasselas, sold as Fendant in Valais. Elsewhere a Muscadet, dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Blanc all work. Use the same bottle for drinking, and avoid oaked Chardonnay, which turns heavy against the cheese.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"What is la religieuse and how do I get one?","La religieuse is the thin sheet of cheese that toasts onto the bottom of the pot as the fondue runs low. To make one deliberately, leave the last centimetre of cheese in the caquelon over the burner for a few extra minutes until it crisps and lifts at the edges, then scrape it out in pieces and share it. It tastes like a cheese cracker and is traditionally the prize.",{"question":69,"answer":70},"How much cheese do I need per person?","Count on 200 g of cheese per person for a main course, which is what this recipe uses for four. If fondue is a starter or one of several things on the table, 120 to 150 g each is enough. Plan roughly 150 g of bread per person as well.",[72,73,74,75],"Caquelon or heavy enamelled cast-iron pot","Table burner (spirit or tealight)","Long fondue forks","Box grater",4,15,20,"medium",[81],"main",[83],"vegetarian",[85,86,87],"gruyere","garlic","cornstarch",[89,94,97,101,105,108,112,116,121,125],{"ref":85,"qty":90,"unit":91,"name":92,"group":93},400,"g","Gruyere, aged at least 9 months, coarsely grated","For the fondue",{"qty":90,"unit":91,"name":95,"note":96,"group":93},"Vacherin Fribourgeois, coarsely grated or crumbled","or Fontina \u002F raclette cheese — see substitutions",{"ref":86,"qty":98,"unit":99,"name":100,"group":93},1,"clove","garlic, halved",{"qty":102,"unit":103,"name":104,"group":93},300,"ml","dry white wine (Chasselas, Fendant or Muscadet)",{"ref":87,"qty":106,"unit":107,"name":87,"group":93},2,"tsp",{"qty":106,"unit":109,"name":110,"optional":111,"group":93},"tbsp","kirsch",true,{"ref":113,"qty":98,"unit":114,"name":115,"group":93},"nutmeg","pinch","freshly grated nutmeg",{"ref":117,"qty":118,"unit":119,"name":120,"group":93},"black-pepper",null,"to taste","freshly ground black pepper",{"qty":122,"unit":91,"name":123,"group":124},600,"day-old country bread, in 3 cm cubes with crust attached","To serve",{"qty":98,"unit":126,"name":127,"group":124},"cup","cornichons and pickled onions",[129,133,136,140,144,147,150],{"title":130,"text":131,"tip":132},"Prepare the cheese and the pot","Grate both cheeses onto a tray and toss them together with your fingers so the two are evenly mixed. Rub the cut face of the garlic hard all around the inside of the caquelon until the surface is glossy and smells strongly of garlic, then drop the clove in.","Grate the cheese straight from the fridge — cold cheese grates cleanly, warm cheese smears on the grater.",{"title":134,"text":135},"Warm the wine","Pour the wine into the pot and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat, until small bubbles rise steadily at the edges but the surface is not rolling. Slake {qty:cornstarch} of cornstarch in the kirsch (or in a tablespoon of cold wine) and set the slurry within reach.",{"title":137,"text":138,"timerSeconds":122,"tip":139},"Melt the cheese in handfuls","Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cheese one generous handful at a time, stirring in a slow figure of eight with a wooden spoon and waiting until each addition has almost disappeared before adding the next. The mixture will look grainy and worryingly separated for the first few minutes — keep going.","If the pot ever starts to bubble hard, lift it off the heat for thirty seconds. Boiling is what breaks a fondue.",{"title":141,"text":142,"timerSeconds":143},"Bind it","Once all the cheese is in and flowing, stir in the cornstarch slurry and keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until the fondue thickens visibly and turns smooth and glossy, coating the back of the spoon in an even sheet with no oily pools on the surface.",180,{"title":145,"text":146},"Season and taste","Grate in the nutmeg and add several grinds of black pepper, then taste. Aged Gruyere is salty enough that you almost certainly need no salt; if the fondue tastes flat rather than under-salted, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to lift it.",{"title":148,"text":149},"Serve at the table","Carry the pot to a lit table burner and adjust the flame so the fondue stays barely trembling without bubbling. Everyone spears a bread cube through the crust side, dips it and turns it in a figure of eight, and the pot gets a stir every few minutes to stop the cheese settling.",{"title":151,"text":152,"timerSeconds":153},"Make la religieuse","When only a thin film of cheese is left, turn the burner up and leave the pot alone for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottom layer toasts to a golden brown disc that lifts at the edges. Scrape it out with a fork, break it into shards and share them around.",240,{"calories":155,"protein":156,"carbs":157,"fat":158,"fiber":159,"sodium":160,"estimated":111},890,47,58,50,3,1800,[162],{"src":163,"alt":164},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fswiss-cheese-fondue\u002Fhero.svg","Earthenware caquelon of molten Swiss cheese fondue with long forks and cubes of crusty bread",[166,167,168,85,169,170,171],"fondue","moitie-moitie","swiss cheese","vacherin","melted cheese","winter","2026-08-19","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":175,"total":351,"page":98,"limit":389,"hasMore":390},[176,201,226,254,278,285,306,325,347,370],{"slug":177,"title":178,"nativeName":179,"countrySlug":8,"region":180,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":181,"difficulty":182,"course":183,"diet":184,"mainIngredients":185,"images":189,"keywords":193,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"alplermagronen","Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni with Potato)","Älplermagronen","Central Switzerland and the Alps",30,"easy",[81],[83],[186,187,85,188],"pasta","potato","onion",[190],{"src":191,"alt":192},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Falplermagronen\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of creamy macaroni with potato and melted alpine cheese under dark fried onions, apple sauce beside it",[194,195,196,197,198,199,200],"älplermagronen","alpine macaroni","swiss","apple sauce","gruyère","one pot","comfort food",{"slug":202,"title":203,"nativeName":204,"countrySlug":8,"region":205,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":206,"cookMinutes":158,"difficulty":182,"course":207,"diet":209,"mainIngredients":210,"images":214,"keywords":218,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"basler-mehlsuppe","Basler Mehlsuppe (Basel Browned Flour Soup)","Basler Mählsuppe","Basel",5,[208],"soup",[],[211,212,213,188],"flour","butter","stock",[215],{"src":216,"alt":217},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbasler-mehlsuppe\u002Fhero.svg","Deep brown Basel flour soup in a bowl with melting grated cheese and chives on top",[219,220,221,222,223,224,225],"basler mehlsuppe","flour soup","basel","fasnacht","roux","swiss soup","carnival food",{"slug":227,"title":228,"nativeName":229,"countrySlug":8,"region":230,"baseServings":231,"prepMinutes":232,"cookMinutes":233,"restMinutes":234,"difficulty":235,"course":236,"diet":238,"mainIngredients":241,"images":243,"keywords":247,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"bundnerfleisch","Bündnerfleisch (Swiss Air-Dried Alpine Beef)","Bündnerfleisch","Graubünden",12,40,0,43200,"hard",[237],"appetizer",[239,240],"gluten-free","dairy-free",[242,117,86],"juniper",[244],{"src":245,"alt":246},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbundnerfleisch\u002Fhero.svg","Paper-thin slices of dark red air-dried Swiss alpine beef fanned on a wooden board with rye bread",[248,249,250,251,252,196,253],"bündnerfleisch","air-dried beef","graubünden","charcuterie","curing","aperitif",{"slug":255,"title":256,"nativeName":257,"countrySlug":8,"region":258,"baseServings":231,"prepMinutes":259,"cookMinutes":259,"restMinutes":260,"difficulty":235,"course":261,"diet":263,"mainIngredients":264,"images":267,"keywords":271,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"engadiner-nusstorte","Engadiner Nusstorte (Engadine Caramel Walnut Tart)","Engadiner Nusstorte \u002F Tuorta da nuschs engiadinaisa","Engadine, Graubünden",45,1500,[262],"dessert",[83],[265,212,211,266],"walnuts","heavy-cream",[268],{"src":269,"alt":270},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fengadiner-nusstorte\u002Fhero.svg","Slice of Engadine walnut tart showing dark caramel and chopped walnuts between thick shortcrust layers",[272,273,274,275,250,276,277],"engadiner nusstorte","walnut tart","caramel","engadine","swiss dessert","shortcrust",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":78,"difficulty":79,"course":279,"diet":280,"mainIngredients":281,"images":282,"keywords":284,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},[81],[83],[85,86,87],[283],{"src":163,"alt":164},[166,167,168,85,169,170,171],{"slug":286,"title":287,"nativeName":288,"countrySlug":8,"region":289,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":78,"cookMinutes":290,"difficulty":79,"course":291,"diet":292,"mainIngredients":293,"images":295,"keywords":299,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"papet-vaudois","Papet Vaudois (Swiss Leek and Potato Stew with Sausage)","Papet vaudois","Vaud",55,[81],[],[294,187],"leek",[296],{"src":297,"alt":298},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpapet-vaudois\u002Fhero.svg","A plate of soft stewed leeks and potatoes topped with a split smoked cabbage sausage",[300,301,302,303,196,304,305],"papet vaudois","leek stew","saucisse aux choux","vaud","smoked sausage","winter stew",{"slug":307,"title":308,"nativeName":309,"countrySlug":8,"region":310,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":311,"difficulty":182,"course":312,"diet":313,"mainIngredients":314,"images":315,"keywords":319,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"swiss-raclette","Raclette (Swiss Scraped Melted Cheese with Potatoes)","Raclette du Valais","Valais",25,[81],[83,239],[187],[316],{"src":317,"alt":318},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fswiss-raclette\u002Fhero.svg","Molten raclette cheese being scraped from a half-wheel over hot boiled potatoes and cornichons",[320,321,170,196,322,323,324],"raclette","valais","potatoes","winter meal","communal dining",{"slug":326,"title":327,"nativeName":328,"countrySlug":8,"region":329,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":78,"cookMinutes":181,"restMinutes":330,"difficulty":182,"course":331,"diet":334,"mainIngredients":335,"images":336,"keywords":340,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"rosti","Rösti (Crisp Swiss Grated Potato Cake)","Rösti","Bern and German-speaking Switzerland",720,[332,333],"side","breakfast",[83,239],[187,212],[337],{"src":338,"alt":339},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frosti\u002Fhero.svg","Golden crisp Swiss rösti potato cake in a cast-iron pan, cut into a wedge to show the soft interior",[341,342,343,344,345,333,346],"rösti","swiss potato cake","grated potato","bern","crispy potatoes","side dish",{"slug":348,"title":349,"nativeName":350,"countrySlug":8,"region":329,"baseServings":351,"prepMinutes":181,"cookMinutes":232,"restMinutes":352,"difficulty":79,"course":353,"diet":355,"mainIngredients":356,"images":359,"keywords":363,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"zopf","Zopf (Swiss Sunday Butter Braid)","Zopf \u002F Tresse",10,150,[354,333],"bread",[83],[211,212,357,358],"milk","yeast",[360],{"src":361,"alt":362},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fzopf\u002Fhero.svg","Glossy braided Swiss Zopf loaf with a deep golden egg-washed crust on a wooden board",[348,364,365,366,367,368,369],"swiss braided bread","butterzopf","tresse","enriched dough","sunday breakfast","baking",{"slug":371,"title":372,"nativeName":373,"countrySlug":8,"region":374,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":78,"cookMinutes":78,"difficulty":79,"course":375,"diet":376,"mainIngredients":377,"images":380,"keywords":384,"publishedAt":172,"updatedAt":172,"authorSlug":173},"zurcher-geschnetzeltes","Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (Zurich Veal in Cream Sauce)","Zürcher Geschnetzeltes","Zurich",[81],[],[378,379,266],"veal","mushrooms",[381],{"src":382,"alt":383},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fzurcher-geschnetzeltes\u002Fhero.svg","Strips of veal and sliced mushrooms in a creamy white sauce served beside a golden rösti",[385,378,386,387,196,379,388],"zürcher geschnetzeltes","cream sauce","zurich","white wine sauce",24,false,1787360068242]