Thuvian Fondue
Thuvian Fondue is a traditional communal cheese dish popular in Mikitivity where people take turns dipping forks with rye bread and bratwursts, such as Brey Bratwurst, into an earthenware pot, called a kasetopf, of melted Brig cheese and white wine that is kept warm by a small burner. The white wine used in the dish varies by locale, but most Miervatians favour the use local wines. Spice mélange is usually ground on top of the cheese as it cooks in the kasetopf by those whom are eating the fondue.
History
The people of the Mikitivity Thuvians invented Thuvian Fondue out of necessity. In the remote mountain villages people had to rely upon local food. During the long winters, fresh food became scarce. Miervatians found that by melting stale cheese it was edible. Local wines and seasonings, such as Spice mélange, were added to the melted cheese. By swirling an old hard rye bread into the creamy mixture of cheese and spices, several foods that might not have tasted good were given new life.
Local pork bratwursts were usually added to the fondue to give it some variety, but when the meat was scarce, it was not included in the dish. Since few villages remain isolated these days, most Thuvian Fondues include the sausages. However, non-meat eaters should request a Vegetarian Thuvian Fondue if they do not want the sausage to be included in their meal.
Traditions
It is customary for people eating the fondue with others to not allow their lips or tongue to touch the dipping forks, but instead to pull the bread or sausage off the fork. This was done to prevent the spread of colds since the forks would be redipped back into the shared kasetopf.
If a piece of bread or sausage slips off the fork, it is tradition for the person who lost their next bite to purchase another round of drinks for everybody sharing the fondue. At some restaurants, customers can request a variant fondue called Thuvian Prosit Fondue, where the forks are buttered to make it far easier for the bread and sausage to slide off the fork.
Ingredients
- 1 dl of a local white wine / person
- 200 g of Brig cheese / person
- hardened diced dark or light rye bread
- thin slices of cooked bratwurst
