It would never have even crossed my mind that fondue might be something to avoid when pregnant. There is all sorts of stuff I ate then only found out after my son was born that perhaps I should have avoided .
I had fondue quite a bit when I was pregnant (probably had wine in it already - didn't even notice) and it was usually after skiing all day. Had to give up skiing at 5 months a) because I was a bit wobbly and b) the ski season was over.
Our kids were not to fond of moitié-moitié fondu in the beginning. It was too hot and the taste of the wine made it a bit coarse for them. They were however enchanted by the Fondue vacherin, which is tepid (heats at about max. 50°C) and very creamy.
Does it make a difference that it's done with "fromage cru"? Or does cooking sort that out?
You're not meant to eat 'raw' cheese, such as brie, camembert etc, and I do believe fondue cheeses falls into that catagory. I think it's down to that fact that it's more likely to carry bacteria and that if that causes an illness such as salmonella, it can serious during pregnancy as it can serious harm a developing fetus.
A lot of hard cheeses are raw too, and advice is to avoid any raw cheeses. Personally, I think the actual chances are unlikely. It completely depends how worried you are. Some people won't touch anything that could possibly affect their unborn child, whereas others take the risk. Going back 30 years, the only thing people didn't eat when pregnant was raw steak.
foundue is too hot, any bacteria will be killed during cooking time. my dr said that raw hard cheese is fine too, as it is too dry and salty for listeria (what would be the problem here) has no basis to grow onto (wherease brie for example is a great place for listeria to blossom).
Traditionally, soft cheeses were to be avoided because they tended to be unpasteurized. Most recommendations now specify that soft cheeses are okay so long as they are pasteurized. Fortunately, every soft cheese I've wanted to eat from the supermarket here is pasteurized. "Eat hard cheeses instead of soft cheeses: The CDC has recommended that pregnant women avoid soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses and Mexican style cheeses such as queso fresco, queso blanco and panela that do not state they are pasteurized.
Hard cheeses such as cheddar and semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella are safe to consume. Pasteurized processed cheese slices and spreads such as cream cheese and cottage cheese can also be safely consumed. The most important thing to do is read the labels! "
I asked my Swiss-French doctor and he said no, don't eat fondue. I know the cheese is fine so I assumed it is due to the alcohol.
That said, I have seen pregnant women at my favorite fondue restaurant both eating fondue and drinking wine. The stigma does not exist here like it does in the US. Everything in moderation - my strategy is just to make my husband order it so that I can have a few bites.