Every Dinner Party Had One In The 1970s — Will It Ever Make A Comeback?

Whether planning a dinner party on a budget or looking to entertain guests last-minute, tried-and-true menus make hosting easier. In the 1960s and 1970s, many hosts turned to fondue. Fondue pots are kitchen gadgets loved by Boomers that still make appearances during movie nights and special holidays, but have largely fallen out of fashion for fancy dinners. Some argue that the trend should have never left. "Fondue is awesome and never should have gone out of style!" wrote one fan on Reddit. "We have one and still use it about once a month. Not with cheese and fruit, but with oil and meats," added another. 

Many New Yorkers discovered fondue at the Chalet Swiss restaurant in the 1950s. By the 1960s, fondue was a go-to party recipe. It was common to see premade fondue, fondue cookbooks with classic cheese fondue recipes, and a variety of fondue pots sold in stores. Party rules like penalties for dropping ingredients into the pot contributed to entertainment. A 1969 Life magazine article explained that women were to kiss someone for dropping bread into fondue, while men were to buy drinks. Diners who made it through the evening without any droppings were rewarded with the cheesy crust that formed at the bottom of the pot. One Reddit user compared the popularity of fondue to air fryers and instant pots, other gadgets that changed how groups gather around food. By the mid-1970s, fondue parties began to decline until a 1990s resurgence on restaurant menus.

Derived from the French word fondre, which means to melt, fondue was popularized as a Swiss national dish in the 1930s, but the idea of dipping bread into cheese started much earlier. In Homer's "Iliad," a recipe that parallels fondue appears. To get through rough winters in the mountains, Swiss villagers dipped stale bread into melted cheese to make it more palatable. And a 1699 Swiss cookbook mentions fondue, and communities then put their own twists on the recipe depending on available ingredients.

When the Swiss Cheese Union began to promote fondue in the 1930s, the concept found audiences around the world. Fondue was displayed in the New York World's Fair in 1964, and many Americans decided the communal format was ideal for dinner parties. Some remember sets being gifted as wedding presents. "We have one from my in-laws that is from the 1970s. It's a nice cheese-yellow color too. My wife and I used it once or twice a year during the winter months and it still works great," wrote one cook on Reddit. "I found a new-in-the-box fondue set at my thrift store, and a few months ago we did hot oil fondue with bread cubes, vegetables, and beef, and a bunch of sauces for dipping," added another. One commenter uses the fondue pot to make s'mores during the summer. The flexibility of the dish — it can be served with cheese, meat, broth, or chocolate — and its interactive format make fondue well-positioned for a 21st-century comeback.