Fondue comes from the French word fondre meaning "to melt." It originally referred only to fondue au fromage ("cheese fondue"), a combination of hot melted cheese, such as Emmentaler or Gruyére, and wine. Using long, slender forks, diners dipped chunks of French bread into the melted mixture. The word has now come to include food cooked or served at the table in a communal pot.

Fondue bourguignonne is prepared by cooking bite-size pieces of beef in a pan of hot oil. The cooked meat is dipped into savory sauces before eating. To lighten the dish, contemporary recipes may use a broth to cook the meat instead of oil. Chocolate fondue is melted chocolate often combined with cream and a liqueur. Small pieces of pound cake, angel food cake or fruit are used as dippers. Fondue forks are used for dipping and transferring food to plates. Then the diners eat the food with their individual dinner forks. This prevents transfer of germs and eliminates the risk of being burned with a hot fork.