Gourmet food in FRANCE? No, it can't be!
So, like, apparently there's a food scene in France. It's not all French bread, French dip and French fries. There's some other stuff as well.
Who knew?
(Seriously, this looks so good I tried to eat the website)
-- Mike Beebe
Don't forget that for years, couscous, a North African dish, was the French's favorite.
This year, things have changed. The Ipsos survey reveals new trends.
1/ Bœuf bourguignon
2/ Cassoulet
3/ Blanquette de veau
Not exactly summer dishes... lol
I LOVE cassoulet.
I'm stupid for it. I'd walk through Hell wearing a gasoline suit if there was a good cassoulet at the end of it. I will cross cities, continents, oceans for a dish of the stuff. I'm flying from Seattle to France just so I can sit down and eat the real thing in Toulouse. Now, knowing the good people of the nation of its birth are madly in love cassoulet too, I feel a sense of pride in my obsession.
Let there be beans! Let there be duck and sausage and pork! Viva la France! Viva la cassoulet and a good Côte du Rhône!
(This is what happens when I skip lunch)
-- Mike Beebe
What a beautiful tribute! But avoid drinking Côtes du Rhône with cassoulet.
A local wine is a must: Madiran, Cahors, or Corbières.
Okay you won me over. Now where to have Cassoulet. We will be doing 3 weeks wandering from Paris to Nice in later September.
Best place in Lyon, Ambroise, Avignon, Anncey
Or Paris or Riviera?
No chance of finding cassoulet between Paris and Nice.
Cassoulet is a specialty of the southwest, and only the southwest.
Toulouse, Castelnaudary, and Carcassonne are the three places in France where you can find cassoulet; each city has a slightly different recipe and its own fraternity of valiant knights who defend this iconic dish against any unauthorized copy.
https://www.toulousegourmettours.com/blog/cassoulet-the-star-dish-from-toulouse-defined
Un bon pour le cuisinier de cassoulet! A family member is Toulousienne and her mother made an excellent one. My first one was at Carcassonne and I thought I was in heaven! I have tried to make it here in Calif., but have difficulty finding the right sausages. A garlic sausage is close, but not exact. Duck confit can be ordered from an importer in San Francisco. The right beans (Tarbais) are impossible to find. Next time I am in France I will have to buy them and bring them home. The saucisses I hope can come home in my checked bag also.
There are probably some fancy import stores in DC or NYC who will have them, but I need an excuse to go back to France, so I guess grocery shopping is as good a one as any. (Plus I ran out of my dried porcini and chanterelles, and honey too).
Now I am hungry!
Mike,
I am also reminded of the long rivalry between Marseille and Nice regarding bouillabaisse, and which fishes are must-haves (rascasse and girelle for example, at least in Marseille). The Grandmeres who would be making a bouillabaisse on a Sunday would not call their fish stew "bouillabaisse" if even one of their required fishes (of many) was unavailable. It ould be delicious, but not fully authentic!
And the ingredients in a Salad Nicoise were the objects of much discussion among the folks at a lunch table...although no Marseillais claimed the salad as their own. It always belonged to Nice.
Ah, memories!
Oh man, cassoulet rules and I just got back from Toulouse so can suggest a place. Le Genty Magre. The best! Don’t miss it. Toulouse is such a beautiful place, enjoy
But attention: many places don’t make it in hot weather. Due to tourism, you should be able to to get it in Carcassonne in the heat, but not everywhere, so watch your calendar to hit it right.
We are hoping to stay somewhere near Quimper for 3M starting mid-Nov. Are there regional websites for food, events, etc for Bretagne, Dordonne, Normandy?
Ouf...careful eating some regional delicacies in the summer. Alsacien cuisine is fantastic but in the heat of July it's just not the same experience
Are there regional websites for food, events, etc. for Brittany,
Dordogne, Normandy?
Brittany's main events:
https://www.brittanytourism.com/matching-what-i-want/culture-and-heritage/brittanys-main-events/
Normandy:
Dordogne:
https://www.visit-dordogne-valley.co.uk/french-living/what-s-on-in-the-dordogne-valley
And ask the local tourist offices, there are plenty of other events not listed on the tourist websites I just mentioned.
avoid drinking Côtes du Rhône with cassoulet
I understand regional chauvinism, but speaking for myself, the grapes used in most southwestern red wines (tannat, malbec and carignan) are not generally much to my taste; they're too plummy and bitter. Syrah rules! And the other Rhône grapes used in good red blends, grenache and mourvèdre, balance the syrah's brutality nicely. So I'll probably join Mr. Beebe and also have a nice Rhône (maybe a Gigondas) with my cassoulet.
If you haven’t had a Madiran, Cahors, Corbières or others in situ, then you haven’t tasted how foods grown in the same region go together. Cote du Rhone is the old generalist fall back that’s used to cover every red wine pairing. Drink regional when possible.
It's not a question of chauvinism, but rather of food and wine pairing.
There are several types of food and wine pairings: contrasting pairings, fusion pairings, regional pairings and color pairings (for the "sweet and savory" aspect, not the literal colors).
Regional pairings are a sure bet. Many dishes pair better with grape varieties from the same region: boeuf bourguignon with a Burgundy wine, cassoulet with a Corbière, sauerkraut with a Sylvaner, Nicoise salad with a Provence rosé, raclette with a Savoie white wine, etc.
Furthermore, unlike in the USA, in France, a wine is not defined by its grape variety because wines are often blends (Assemblage) of several grape varieties. "Assemblage" is a specific characteristic of many French wines and often a true art. Even if it makes sense from a taste perspective we never say in a restaurant or wine bar, "I'd like a Malbec" or "I'd like a Syrah."
That being said, everyone does as they please.
Cheers!
Every area in France has its own specific dishes. Just browse the net or ask french people where you’re at to tell you about what you should try. As to answer someone here, Bouillabaisse is only in Marseille. In Nice, you can try the salade niçoise, the pan bagna (a delicious and healthy hamburger), la socca, la pissaladière. I was born in Nice 😜, that’s why I know that much. In south of France, food is mostly based on fish and vegetables.
In west of France, by the Atlantic, you have delicious sea food. In Normandy, everything is made out of cream. In Lyon and the surroundings, you have lots of charcuterie (sausages, based pork dishes).
For those who love cheese, let me tell you, there are more than 365 different ones!
Tongues buds, get ready!
Thank you so much for all the edification on Gallic gastronomy, and the joys of vin!
In return, I offer you this:
According to "World Cassoulet Championship" (being a judge at this thing would be my dream job), where is the BEST cassoulet in France located?
a. Toulouse
b. Colmar
3. On the Rue Cler, but it's not all that authentic and it's really a tourist cassoulet and the only reason it won is because Rick included it in his guide to Paris.
(see answer in the next post!)
-- Mike Beebe
Aaaand the winner is...
LYON!
Specifically:
Mon Dieu! Even better than OUR cassoulete? say the Toulousians
And now you know ... the rest of the story.
Good day!
-- Mike Beebe
I know Michel Sarran, the jury president (and Michelin-starred chef). He's now advertising on French TV for a fast-food chain. I'm sure he negotiated his vote for the jury prize in exchange for a few free hotel nights at that miserable Sofitel in Lyon.
The "People's Choice" prize is still awarded to Toulouse.
Chauvinism? No way.
If you haven’t had a Madiran, Cahors, Corbières or others in situ, then you haven’t tasted how foods grown in the same region go together.
I understand, and it's a valid point. I've loved Puglian reds (negroamaro, primitivo and nero di Troia) with cavallo, ragu di cinghiale and other regional specialties, fresh Emiliano sangiovese with Bolognese ragu, Swiss chasselas with pikeperch fresh from Lake Luzern, and Austrian pinot noir (blauburgunder) with schnitzel in Bavaria. Wonderful, all of them. But I'm not likely going to find tannat to be very palatable under any circumstances. Nonetheless, I'll try all the southwestern reds this summer when we're there, and I'll be ready to eat crow if I'm mistaken.
Sofitel? It’s the railroad station Pullman.,
Did they put ketchup in the beans.😂.
What’s next, best quenelle won by Carcassonne.
Good for you jph trying the local wines with local dishes.
jphbucks, there's no need to focus on single-varietal wines, like with these, you need to be open to blends.
https://eliandaros.fr/nos-vins/
A blend of Malbec, Jurançon Noir, Merlot, and Valdiguié can produce some amazing results.
Please stop! You are all making me soooo hungry!
Ooh! We are taking our kids to France in June and the lad and I are excited to try everything! Cassoulet in Carcassonne, snails, lamb, duck confit, all the cheeses and desserts, foie gra in the Dordogne. Can't wait!
Regarding cassoulet and world champions and for regional cuisine lovers, take note of this one between Toulouse and Carcassonne in the village of Saint-Félix-Lauragais.
Auberge du Poids Public
You can eat, stay, and take a cooking class to make a real cassoulet (or had a oenology course).
If you book at the restaurant, specify if you will order cassoulet; it is prepared according to the number of requests.
https://auberge-du-poids-public.fr/eng/
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pXUM87NNwdxeuGvFA
Not accessible by train, not easily accessible by bus from Toulouse. A car is essential.
