Every nation has a dish like this: all the food available in the household is gathered and stewed/boiled/mixed together into something. Usually this something later on becomes the most famous dish of the national or regional cuisine. For example, the Russians have schi, the Brazilians - feijoada, the Italians - various souses and fillings for pasta, the Hungarians - goulash, the Japanese - sushi. And the people of the historical province Languedoc, situated at the foothills of the Pyrenees, have cassoulet. Toulouse, Carcassonne and Castelnaudary compete for the right of being called its birthplace.
The dish is a stew of white beans and meat products: sausages, lamb, pork (including bacon), game or poultry. The name cassoulet comes from the Occitan caçole – a deep earthenware pot with sloping edges. Exactly the kind of vessel it is cooked in (or at least served in the restaurants).
For the peasants of the Languedoc the task of cleaning the pot from the greasy and burned-up food was barely accomplishable. Hot water was scarce and sand and grass were the only available detergents. So they put some wine or water in the pot and boiled it, dissolving the fat and food residue and making a base for the new meal. So, in every cassoulet there is something of the past…
Although cassoulet doesn’t always look appetizing, it is in fact very tasty, nutritious and an excellent company to spirits! Great Friday to all =)
The photo is from Wikipedia. On my own photo the meal was halfway gone…
