I live in Switzerland and let's have a fondue lesson. First of all, it's spelled fondue with an e because it is a feminine word, not fondu. The french word is used in German speaking areas and countries because fondue was invented in either Fribourg, Switzerland or Savoie, France. The battle lives on til today.

Fondue au fromage - cheese fondue - kasefondue - kinda self-explanatory.

Fondue bourguignonne - a pot of boiling water with bouillon in it that you dip veggies, meat, whatever in.

Fondue chinoise - a pot of boiling oil that you dip meat, fish, chicken in.

Voila!

Interesting, because the Mongolian firepot in the States is a pot of boiling broth in which you dip meat and vegetables, and at the end you drink the broth. On the other hand, meat and fish fondue is done in oil.

I would agree with you Michael. I have heard of the oil fondue being called "Fondue Bourguignonne" but never Chines Fondue or Fondue Chinois.

I'm baffled. What EXACTLY did you order?

Did you ask for "fondue" as you originally said, assuming it was cheese, or did you specifically say "Käsefondue"? Is it possible you said "Fondue mit Gemüse"? assuming you would get cheese fondue and a separate plate of veggies (Gemüseteller)?

It seems to me the broth/raw vegetable dish they brought you was Gemüsefondue, NOT a Gemüseteller, which is usually a nice plate of ready-to-eat vegetables; i.e., a plate for vegetarians or vegetable-lovers. Never seen it come with a pot of broth for cooking, and a basket as you describe.

Is this controversial menu on-line anywhere?

let's be honest...fondue is total rubbish.

There are a couple of confused informations here. I hope I'm not making another by my post but ..

> Fondue bourguignonne - a pot of boiling water with bouillon in it that you dip veggies, meat, whatever in.

Beaupeep, I don't know above version you described and I do live in CH. I suspect if your version exists, that's a kind of modern, a new one ? Because the fondue bourguignonne is basically beef cut in cubes cooked in oil on your table. Broth one is fondue chinoisE. Some may use pork and chicken especiall after the fear of mad cow desease but that's recent tendency. And vegies are even less common if ever exist, that's my understanding.

Vegetable fondue that is talking about here (either OP ordered it or not)seems something different from fondue chinoise. Fondue chinoise is with broth and thinly sliced (thus easy to cook in broth) beef. Some restaurant MIGHT put vegetables in the broth but it's not obligatory. After finishing the beef, you put rice in the broth and maybe beaten egg and eat. That last part may also differ depending on the restauarants.

Re : Raclette, Michael and NeoPatric's is the oroginal one BUT usually it's not with any vegetables but only boiled potatoes. hsv's version is a modern one. Electric apparatus with such small trays is easy and popular especually when you do raclette at home. But here again, the basic is with boiled potatoes only, no slalami, no other vegetables. But I'm talking about traditional one. Some people somewhere may be experimenting on new things. Things change and I'm not against using different vegetables, if that tastes ok, that would also be better for health vs only cheese and potatoes.

Finally as someone mentioned above, cheese + vegetable fondue, it's hard to imagine. A new German version of fondue ?

Re : raclette
French, from racler, to rake, scrape. You scrape the melt part of the cheese from the big wheel like cheese. The name raclette come from that, as it is generally considered.

New member, this is my first visit, and I gotta say, kept reading, and reading, and reading....so much interest & such venom. You'd think it was politics. Talk about nit-picking! Geesh. Geeesh! Subcon, which has been worse, the restaurant experience or the bashing you've taken here? It's been entertaining, but I think I'll go put in a dvd now. Thanks!

Subcon you should have gone across the road to Weisses Bräuhaus, the waitresses there can really be insulting and it would have cost less for the privilege

Geordie

kappa - as I reread beaupeep's post I suspect she simply reversed the definitions:

<<Fondue bourguignonne - a pot of boiling water with bouillon in it that you dip veggies, meat, whatever in.

Fondue chinoise - a pot of boiling oil that you dip meat, fish, chicken in.>>

You probably knew that 'cause you are especiallY knowledgeable about it. LOL

I have never been to Munich Germany however, If you were served the wrong food and they said you have to still pay for it? why didn't you just pay for the fondue you had and leave? $130.00 for 2 cocktails, a cheap bottle of wine and a plate of veggies with broth? You must be rich.