A cheese fondue in Switzerland is considered as the national dish.

A stunning view on the snow-capped mountains, wooden hut, the burning fire in the stove or fireplace, soft light which creates a warm yellow and orange colors around is an ideal atmosphere to eat fondue, but the Israeli landscape in winter evenings in a cool place with a group of friends around a hot pot in the living room or dining room can create a special atmosphere of intimacy and festive dinner with a fondue dish.

A principle of the fondue  – to deep pieces of bread in a hot liquid using a long fork (there is also a chocolate fondue and meat fondue).

Fondue set includes a heavy pot called Kaklon, a heating (based on candle / or a heating device, which allows you to adjust the intensity of the fire) and fork with long handle and two teeth.

A fondue dish is developed around social traditions: a family or friends get together for dinner in the evening (usually 6-8 fondue forks included).

There are fun traditions in eating Fondue: if one of the members missed a piece of his fork into the pot – he will be fined by the company (of course – not seriously). Defaulter just takes a new piece with a laughter and applause from the other participants. Another well-known law: if you dropped your food into the pot for the second time – you should buy drinks for everyone.  When arranging fondue party, you would  always get an informal and warm atmosphere.

Fondue recipe

Components for 6-8 participants:

– 1 bottle of dry white wine.

– 1 kg of grated aged cheese with a strong taste and aroma ,.

– 3 tablespoons of brandy

– 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

– clove of garlic

– nutmeg

– white pepper

– bread *

* Bread – it is recommended to use a ciabatta or baguette. Mostly dry or toasted bread is used. The bread should be cut into cubes of about 2 by 2 cm. Each cube must have a crust so that it was convenient to prick with a fork.

* Another suggestion for people who do not eat bread / dough. You can use blanched (pre-cooked a few minutes in boiling water) seasonal vegetables.

We recommend to buy ingredients for a cheese fondue in the Schwartzman farm: mature hard cheeses, which were kept in the cellar with temperature and climate, unique to the region:

– Rutan

– Goat cheese with coal

– Manchego

– Pecorino

– Gouda

– Lobrisin

– Camembert with walnuts

– Kozy rind cheese with wine

Cooking method:

Rub the pot wall with a garlic clove. Pour wine and put on medium heat until it is not encompass small bubbles. Gradually add cheese to wine, stirring constantly, and make sure that the cheese is well melted before you  add more cheese.

Reduce heat, stir a starch in the brandy and add the cheese, stirring occasionally. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly, then transfer to the place of heating. There you can adjust the temperature so that the mixture remains hot, but not bubbling. To complete the meal, you can add a large salad or a fruit dessert.

The secrets of producing and making of the best boutique cheeses are kept for four generations by family members. In the family court yard, you can observe the legacy and tradition that almost passed from this world besides an unforgettable culinary experience.

The 120-year-old stone building that is standing in the yard gives an extraordinary experience of a different time to the visitors. The building is used as a museum in addition to its use as a restaurant and reveals to the visitors like an exhibition of the different artifacts, tools, pictures and documents that captured and described the past farm life and the beginning days of Bat-Shlomo colony. The past treasures are the testimony of the history of the place.

There is a verity of delicacies, and you can choose from a variety of fine cheeses: soft, hard, aged and ripe, cheeses that are made from goat, sheep, and cow milk.
The fine olives that are grown in the private orchard of Bat-Shlomo were grown and harvested with care, in the farmer’s lot that is situated on the foot of the mount Horshan. The olives are well known of its wonderful and unique flavor, also, an olive oil is made from them.

The natural honey has its amber color and is collected from bee hives that work in dedication and collect the nectar from the flowers of Dalia stream in this area.
The Schwartzman family also manufactures date honey (silan), carob honey and yahara honey which are all available for eating side by side with our special Pita bread that is served straight out of the tabon hot and fresh, seasoned with a special blend of herbs.
All this and more are made in a self-production process – not industrial or mass production, a thing that you can recognize from the first bite and this bite will bring you back to the past places and fragrances. (We recommend you to take a look at our Menu).

The flavors of the history are combined with the fragrances of today’s manufacturing. Here you can taste the time that stood still: in the entrance we serve our guests black and green olives. You can just taste and get addicted to their flavors. Behind the counter, Ziv Schwarzman cuts pieces of cheeses and serves them with great love and pride to his guests.

You should come only in order to try and enjoy, come to know the scenery place, seasoned with flavors of the past.

The secret of the unique flavors of the cheeses and the rest of the products of the Schwartzman dairy and lives stock is in the authenticity that is saved since the days that the dairy was established and was saved in devotion until this days.

Ziv is a third generation and his daughters are fourth generations in the dairy and they refuse to change their methods to modern methods.

The secrets of making their cheeses they got in an inheritance and they are holding on to preserving the tradition of raising cattle, sheep, and goats, the milking and production of cheeses, just like it was done by grandpa Zelig and the father of Ziv Simhon.

And as hinted each cow is treated like a pet, each goat gets love and care each sheep gets a personal attention, the dairy products are processed with dedication, love and care with manual milking methods. “…. the quality of the milking is the quality of the cheese!”
You’ve read? Got impressed? You are welcome to a visit us and combine it with a full meal in the cheese restaurant that is located in the farmyard, to enjoy a variety of flavors of cheeses, special spreads and to end the meal with coffee and sweet desserts.

The store offers the best variety of our products for our visitors. Because there are flavors you just want to take home.

The story of our dairy house is a part of the story of Bat-Shlomo and you can continue reading about the two in the book of Eli Israeli “The Schwartzman tale from Bat – Shlomo”.