Le Dezaley ★ 4.4
Opened 1902 beside the Grossmuenster: Lavaux wines and Vaud cooking on long wooden tables. Classic fondue, truffle fondue, raclette, saucisson vaudois.
Signature: Fondue moitie-moitie, Truffle fondue, Raclette
History
Fondue began as a winter survival dish in the Alpine canton of Fribourg, melted with whatever cheese ends and stale bread were available. The moitie-moitie ratio of half Gruyere and half Vacherin Fribourgeois was codified in the early twentieth century as the Vacherin-producing region around Bulle pushed it into national menus. In Zurich it became a tourist-old-town staple after the Second World War, when fondue cellars like Swiss Chuchi (opened 1953) gave visitors something distinctly Swiss to eat under low ceilings.
Common allergens: Milk, Gluten, Sulphites
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 200g Gruyere AOP, grated
- 200g Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP, grated
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 200ml dry white wine (e.g. Fendant)
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon kirsch
- Black pepper, fresh nutmeg
- 300g day-old bread, cubed
Method
- Rub the inside of a cast-iron caquelon with the cut garlic, then discard the garlic.
- Pour in the wine and warm over low heat until steaming but not boiling.
- Whisk the cornflour into the kirsch, then stir into the wine.
- Add the cheese in three batches, stirring constantly in a figure-eight motion until each batch melts before adding the next.
- Once smooth and glossy, season with black pepper and a grating of nutmeg.
- Transfer to the table burner; keep at a low simmer. Dip bread cubes on long forks, stirring the pot each time.
Tip from the editors. If the fondue separates, whisk in a teaspoon of cornflour slurried with cold wine; bring back to a gentle simmer.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat fondue moitie-moitie
Fondue Moitie-Moitie in Zurich
Restaurant Swiss Chuchi ★ 4.2
The oldest fondue room in Zurich's old town, inside Hotel Adler in the Niederdorf pedestrian zone since 1953. Ten fondue variations and full raclette.
Signature: Cheese fondue, Raclette
More cities are in research. Want fondue moitie-moitie covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.