Food while traveling | Another reason to visit Carcassonne is another Cassoulet
2023-10-31
Dish: cassoulet
Restaurant: Le Rempart
Carcassonne, July 2019
Visited Carcassonne again, arrived late, and city within city refused to enter. The neighborhood is still bustling with life as night gets better. Under guidance of local residents, restaurant was booked. Since there was still plenty of time, I first had a drink in center of square, which was clearly a tourist attraction. restaurant.
The theme of dinner was decided in advance, and I wasn't sure if it would fit. After a rainy day at beginning of summer, wind was blowing and weather was cool, which created most suitable weather conditions for tasting cassoulet.
Cassoulet
Checked out Baidu's translation of Cassoulet called cassoulet, learned more about materials and methods, and highlighted following key points:
- The name comes from a pot called Cassole, which is specifically used for stewing;
- Cassoulet exists in various versions, especially in Toulouse and Carcassonne;
- The cooking process uses a lot of white lentils (bean blanc) to shade meat. The effect is a bit like mixing noodles with sauce after eating fish heads with chopped peppers;
- Common meats: duck, goose, pork and sausages. The Toulouse version uses pork and lamb.
- The version of Carcassonne is similar, with meat proportions adjusted, more lamb added, and partridge sometimes used instead of duck. It looks like a bird that looks like a quail. Probably, on this day there should be such food, because legs are small, I thought it was a dove. It is said that there is also a version with roasted pigs, which should be very tasty.
Partridge
The stew matches my aesthetic: hearty, full-bodied. No pretentious presentation, goes well with wine, of course, with strong and full-bodied red wines. The beans almost mashed during cooking process, and along with red meat, were salty, neutralized fat, and contrasted with texture of meat. In general, concept is somewhat reminiscent of cheese fondue: you don’t feel like eating it every day, but at a certain time and climate, it can heal both stomach and body at same time.
It is also worth mentioning wine from restaurant: a local wine with a catchy label should be a southern blend (Aubert & Mathieu), complex but soft. My wine research is useless and I'm embarrassed to say such things about wine tasting... hey.
At end, put a photo of Carcassonne that proves that this is a place worth visiting repeatedly.
Wine label
View from Carcassonne