Happy French Friday!
This summer, I spent 6 weeks in southwest France and Spain and this week’s French Friday pick is, ostensibly, an exploration of the origins of a very southwest France dish – cassoulet – but it turns out that it’s so much more just than a history of this quintessentially French dish. This is a memoir, a travelogue, an exploration, a documentation of an obsession with the dish, and a story of “finding oneself” – all wrapped up in the complicated and fascinating story of cassoulet!
From the publisher:
Cassoulet Confessions is an enthralling memoir by award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar that reveals how a simple journalistic assignment sparked a culinary obsession and transcended into a quest for identity. Set in the stunning southern French countryside, this honest and poignant memoir conveys hunger for authentic food and a universal hunger for home.
In Cassoulet Confessions, Sylvie travels across the Atlantic from her home in New York to the origin of cassoulet – the Occitanie region of Southern France. There she immerses herself in all things cassoulet: the quintessential historic meat and bean stew. From her first spoonful, she is transported back to her dramatic childhood in Geneva, Switzerland, and finds herself journeying through an unexpected rabbit hole of memories. Not only does she discover the deeper meanings of her ancestral French cuisine, but she is ultimately transformed by having to face her unsettling, complex family history.
Sylvie’s simple but poetic prose immerses us in her story: we smell the simmering aromas of French kitchens, empathise with her family dilemmas, and experience her internal struggle to understand and ultimately accept herself.
The book stems from an article Bigar was commissioned to write about the history of cassoulet. I dove into the book expecting it to be a simple “road trip to find the perfect cassoulet” story but it was so much more than that! Bigar’s family history (back to World War II and then her early childhood) and search for her identity were woven into the cassoulet storyline (though I feel like both stories merited their own shorter story sometime – it felt like there was a lot going on).
With a multitude of different “authentic” cassoulet recipes and Bigar’s own (slightly simplified, shorter) version as well as a “Gateway” recipe (an entry-level, weeknight cassoulet), we, too, benefit from Bigar’s years of research and taste testing.
A thoroughly enjoyable read that will take you from New York to Geneva, to Carcassonne and Provence. For armchair travellers, history buffs and culinary adventurers, this book is a delight to read and will make you want to fly to France or make cassoulet (or possibly both!).
Buy Cassoulet Confessions on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country). For free worldwide shipping, buy it on Blackwell’s. To support your local Indie bookstore, purchase on Bookshop.org.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links from Blackwells and Bookshop.org. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
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Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now!
Click here for details and how to order!
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Ever since our first trip to France decades ago, I have been unable to replicate a similar version here at home. The duck leg and sausage are easy, but it’s the tarbais beans that do not seem to be available in Canada!
Nice review, Mardi. Amazing what can be found in a single dish.