The world's best fondues

At a time when small plates rule the table, fondue stands proudly as the ultimate large-format sharing dish, the European alternative to a steaming hot pot in Asia. Fondue’s long, cheesy strands reach back to Homer’s The Iliad, when the fromage of choice was made from goat milk. The dish, at its most basic just cheese and wine, gained international prominence in Switzerland in the 1930s when the Swiss Cheese Union promoted it from obscurity to push a glut of Gruyère and Emmenthal. The country continues to take fondue seriously, with more than one word to describe its various components.