The
Fork-1-1 CasSOULet– French Soul Food! By Kimberly Cambra
T
here truly is only one world renowned French dish which is as steeped in history, culture and folklore as it is steeped in pork fat, meat and beans. Cassoulet, pronounced kass-su-lay, originates from the Languedoc region in the southwest of France with its beginnings during a British attack of Castelnaudary in 1355, under the charge of Edward the Prince of Wales. The town’s people were determined to keep their soldiers nourished for battle; together they filled and fired up a large cauldron with meats, beans and spices giving way to the creation of cassoulet. Its 14th century origins would suggest this meal to be a poor man’s dish with the readily available ingredients of meats which were smoked during this time, along with dried beans, for a long shelf life.
ents or combinations of ingredients by simply using hearty white beans or any other slow-cook beans along with a variety of sausages, and any type of poultry, to include duck or chicken.
Over the centuries, as this classic comfort food evolved, it began to acquire a more emotional and social gastronomic foundation amongst its countrymen as a communal meal where friends contributed ingredients as a coming together into a one pot shopping. However, the actual name cassoulet is derived from the earthen ceramic funnel like cassole or casserole used to bake this combination of flavor infused ingredients. Some actual cassoulet vessels are often passed down from generation to generation in France, adding to the folklore.
Still crave more about this iconic dish? Believe it or not the Universal Cassoulet Academy is a school for chefs dedicated to the practiced art of cooking cassoulet; here they can acquire their Master Cassoulet Chef certification. It is headquartered in Carcassonne, France with five other global embassies in Japan, Germany, USA, England and Canada. Their mission is to bring together men and women for whom expertise, quality and originality equate to a love of life in thought, word and deed and to eating well. At their core is the belief to organize and take part in the gastronomic, the cultural, and the artistic, with the sole aim of promoting cassoulet throughout the world and developing awareness of the region’s Master Cassoulet Chefs. So… c’est si bon viva la cassoulet –madams and monsieurs– ain’t no weenies and beans we’re talkin’!
Authentically recreating this so called “peasant” dish might be considered a modern day oxymoron and will cost you way more than beans for the foodie purist when using authentic ingredients such as the infamous Tarbais beans. These beans are grown and developed by generations of farmers in this region of France and are very expensive, close to $20 per pound. Realistically, a cassoulet recipe can be interpretive with regards to ingredi-
Cassoulet is the antithesis of fast food, for it is cooked for hours and well worth the wait for this French “soul” food. A fine meal worthy of wintery afternoons paired with any wine, preferably red. If you find some from the Languedoc region, you will discover how affordable the wine is versus the shopping list for your meal. This might go without saying but a baton of crusty French bread is also another must for enjoying the comforts of a savory bean and sausage drenched cassoulet.
Bon Appetit from the FORK-1-1!
Castelnaudary
LocalLivingMag.com
January | February 2014
Local Living
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