The Cassoulet of Castelnaudary allowed the attacked to repel their enemies...
The Cassoulet of Castelnaudary allowed the attacked to repel their enemies...
A legend sticks to this dish of stew and white beans.
One of them takes place in 1355 during the Hundred Years War. The city was besieged by English forces led by the Black Prince.
The siege has been going on for ten months. Hungry, the inhabitants of Castelnaudary, the Chauriens, gather what they had left: a few beans, white beans, and pork. They put everything in a saucepan to simmer overnight.
The next day, they taste this first “cassoulet”. They would have appreciated it so much that, invigorated, they would have beaten the English. And would have even chased them to Normandy, and driven back across the Channel to England.
Unfortunately, the truth is not so glorious for the Chauriens: cassoulet or no cassoulet, they have been beaten.
