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France - Gastronomy

Despite duck crisis, France's cassoulet spreads its wings

Cassoulet, the dish combining beans and duck - in the original recipe - is one of the most appreciated in France. Now, despite a decrease in domestic duck production, makers in the Cassoulet capital, Castelnaudary, are looking to promote the dish worldwide.

Cassoulet is displayed in the kitchen of Jean-Claude Rodriguez, head chef of the Chateau Saint Martin restaurant in Carcassonne
Cassoulet is displayed in the kitchen of Jean-Claude Rodriguez, head chef of the Chateau Saint Martin restaurant in Carcassonne AFP/Rémy Gabalda
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The drive to promote cassoulet is rooted in the Hundred Years War between France and England in the 14th and 15th centuries. As legend has it, the residents of Castelnaudary, in southwestern France, invented the meal to combat famine while under siege by the British.

As many recipes as there are cooks

"In Castelnaudary it's goose or duck, in Toulouse it's sausage or mutton, and when they're in season, Carcassonne partridges," said Pierre Poli, head of the Universal Cassoulet Academy.

Poli's academy has teamed up with Jean-Louis Malé, "grandmaster" of the cassoulet guild, to promote the dish around the world. The group is targeting countries including Canada, Belgium, Britain and Japan.

The move comes despite the fact that duck production in France has decreased by as much as 30%, after the French government took containment measures to fight the bird flu in 2015.

But Cassoulet has already made inroads in New York, where it is served in around 30 restaurants, and it is gaining ground in Chicago and Houston.

A "Cassoulet Day" in New York

In New York last September, 25 chefs competed in a "cassoulet-off" with Pierre Landet of the Felix restaurant triumphing in the category of authenticity.

"It's my duty to show French tradition," Landet told French news agency AFP, dismissing a rival in Harlem as "too Jamaican" with his recipe featuring black and red beans and ginger-flavoured sausage.

Another chef, J.J. Johnson of the restaurant The Cecil, won the special public prize.

A "Cassoulet Day" is also held every 9 January in the Big Apple.

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