Fondue and fendant - a no-no?

Although the late November-early December 2010 period roared in like a lion, with unprecedented levels of snow lakeside here in la Suisse, the weather has since not lived up to that early promise.  In fact, in all but high glacier areas, the ski season, indeed the season for all winter sports, has been quite dismal for stations in this area, I'm sorry to say.

Even though the weather where I am is so lovely that I can hardly complain, and fortunately, we did have a nice rain yesterday to increase the ground water table somewhat, there is still a distinct nip in the air to remind us that we have not - yet - seen the last of winter.  That means that the weather still provides a very nice excuse to enjoy one of the local staples of cooler weather: la fondue au fromage (cheese fondue) - not that some of us need an excuse for having fondue any time whatsoever.

Generally, a meal with fondue begins with a light green salad, which may or may not be accompanied or followed by local specialties such as the paper-thin dried meat from Grisons (la viande séchée des Grisons), that literally melts in one's mouth, pâté de campagne and crisp gherkins (cornichons).  One generally eats fondue by dipping pieces of crusty bread into the melted cheese with long forks made especially for this purpose.  Small boiled potatoes, the aforementioned viande des Grisons and gherkins can also be included and dipped into the melted cheese as well.  The beverage of choice is usually a white wine, served liberally, with fendant being preferred in la Suisse romande (French-speaking Switzerland).

Few of those who have never travelled in Switzerland know fendant, with its light fresh taste.  And that is just the way that we who do know it want things to stay.  Fendant is one of the most popular white wines from the Valais wine-producing region.  The wine is so popular in-country that it is basically consumed by those of us who live here.  There isn't much, if any, left for export, which is actually true for all Swiss wines.  But a good fondue, accompanied by a good fendant - and I have yet to try a fendant that is not good - can approach the sublime.

So it was with interest that I read the results of a recent study done by researchers at the University of Zurich demonstrating that it is better for the digestion to drink black tea with fondue than it is to drink an equivalent amount of fendant.   Further, a glass of water may serve as a better digestif than does a glass of kirsch.  Each of the study participants was subjected to a breath test every 15 minutes.  These tests measured the presence in the breath of a carbon isotope that exists in the fondue mixture.  This isotope shows how fast the meal passes through the small intestine.   The results of the study showed that alcohol considerably slowed down the digestive process.  More than half of the fondue remained in the stomachs of those who drank wine and kirsch, compared to those who drank tea and water.  These results were recently published in the British Medical Journal.

The encouraging thing for those of us who love our wine is that the study did not find any basis for a determination that drinking wine with fondue had a negative effect on the subjective well-being of any of the participants.  They were no more subject to gastric upsets or bloating than those who drank tea and water.  One who is otherwise in good health can continue to drink whatever one wants with fondue without worrying about eventual problems with digestion.

So, I will be quite happy to continue imbibing fendant with my fondue.  I can't quite imagine approaching the sublime with black tea.