It’s the only type of dinner party where the host feels like a guest and barely needs to leave the table throughout the meal.

If cooking for friends gives you the shakes, then consider fondue. This age-old meal, which came into vogue with shag carpeting (and even shaggier hairdos) has waxed and waned over the past four decades until re-establishing itself among today’s generations.

In modern Europe fondue dinners are even more commonplace, a reflection of the continent’s social link to eating. Yet the concept of dipping foodstuff into pots of heated liquid was born out of necessity rather than indulgence, when roaming Swiss shepherds melted cheese and wine together over outdoor fires – and then dipped in broken loaves of hard bread for warm, filling meals.

Compared to the plethora of newfangled cheese fondues that exist today, the making of meat fondue requires the least amount of work. The presentation can be dazzling – and the meal rambles gaily for hours.

Simply place a metal fondue pot filled with hot oil on its heating stand over a can of Sterno in the center of the table. Surround it with an array of dipping sauces, and park a few serving bowls of cubed, raw meat and fish nearby.

Each guest then snatches one or two pieces of raw meat with their color-designated skewers and submerges it in the oil for a few minutes until cooked. A relish tray of veggies and olives, along with lots of wine, helps soak up the waiting periods.

Dipping sauces can be purchased from grocery stores or made ahead of time from scratch. The trick is to select sauces that instill a sense of discovery among your guests.

Cheese fondue, on the other hand, sparks something of a feeding frenzy with rarely any loitering between mouthfuls. The Swiss recipe remains a wintertime classic – a savory mixture of Gruyere and Emmentaler cheeses, melted into dry white wine. Cubed bread and sliced pears serve as the victuals. Below are recipes for a couple of sauces and the beloved Swiss-cheese fondue.

2 tablespoons of mango chutney (available in grocery stores)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill for one hour.

3-4 tbs. minced fresh dill leaves

Place sour cream in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and set aside. Combine oil, lemon juice, salt and dill in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gradually add in the cream mixture, whisking constantly. Continue stirring over low heat for one to two minutes. Remove to a small bowl. Chill sauce for at least one hour to thicken. Use with beef and poultry.

? tsp. grated nutmeg

Crush the garlic clove and rub along the inside of the fondue pot. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, the place over heat stand or on medium stove burner. Slowly add the cheeses. Stir continuously until melted. When cheese begins to bubble, combine cornstarch and kirsch, then add to the pot. Continue stirring for two minutes, then add the salt, paprika and nutmeg, and serve immediately with cubed French bread and pear or green apple wedges.