Why is a chocolate fondue the right choice to brighten up an evening with friends?

Why not sweeten up your get-together with a chocolate fondue for a change?

Did you know that chocolate fondue comes from America?

Many people might think that the Swiss or Belgians, who have a particularly rich chocolate history, were the first to dip different pieces in chocolate, but this is not the case. The idea did come from Switzerland, but their traditional fondue is cheese, not chocolate. After the first one became popular throughout America in the 1950s, the idea for chocolate fondue was born. However, the history of its creation is rather unclear, as there are several different stories about its origins. Some even say that the Mayans were somehow the first to invent it, since they were drinking chocolate 2500 years ago.

What do you need to make chocolate fondue?

Whoever first came up with the idea, we chocoholics are, of course, eternally grateful to that person. Chocolate fondue is not just a dish, it is also a form of socialising. If you''ve never made a fondue before, here are some tips to make your evening with family or friends as perfect as possible.

Why not sweeten up your get-together with a chocolate fondue for a change?

As well as the chocolate and accessories, the basic things you''ll need are a pot to heat the chocolate in, a burner or tea light holder and a long fork to skewer pieces of your favourite fruit or pastry. There are many different types of fondues to choose from, with designers almost competing to see who can make the neatest and most useful. You can also choose to buy a fondue set depending on the number of people - a larger one is preferable when you are planning to have a treat with friends or family, but if you want to spend a romantic evening with fondue for two, a smaller set is better.

3 key ingredients for fondue

To make chocolate fondue, you need 3 things: good quality chocolate, additives and the pieces you''re going to dip it in.

• Quality chocolate

There is a wide choice of chocolate to choose from for chocolate fondue, but we advise you to choose only the best quality chocolate, so that your chocolate experience is perfect. Quality white, milk or dark chocolate has a fine, creamy texture, contains more cocoa butter and is liquid enough to melt smoothly.

Chocolate drops are best for fondue as they melt more quickly and easily. The chocolate can be melted over a fire or in a water bath. You can also add a little cream to brighten the flavour, and once the chocolate has melted, pour the mixture into a fondue pot and place it over a heat or tea light to keep it liquid.

• Additives

If you don''t like the taste of chocolate on its own, you can also spice up your chocolate fondue by sprinkling in some cinnamon, chilli powder, ground coffee, mint, vanilla, kikiriki butter or your favourite liqueur - the choice is yours! If you''re more adventurous, you can also colour your chocolate with pink or green chocolate colouring, which are most popular with white chocolate.

• Pieces

The choice of pieces to dip into the intoxicatingly fragrant chocolate is virtually endless. This way, those who prefer sweeter flavours as well as those who prefer more sour flavours can find something to suit them. For example, you can dip various fruits in chocolate fondue, which you cut into pieces beforehand - apples, pears, bananas, grapes, oranges, pineapples and, of course, the most popular of all fruits - strawberries - are perfect with melted chocolate! Or go for an even sweeter option and dip mini marshmallows or pieces of caramel, biscuits, waffles or other pastries into the chocolate.

Tip: For an even sweeter experience, you can roll the pieces in a sweet mixture of cocoa, vanilla sugar and cinnamon before dipping them in chocolate.