Toulouse Impressions: Gascony cuisine

Recipe of Cassoulet Castelnaudary in Carcasson

The Gascony area has had many scientists stupefied by what is called "a Gascony paradox": the diet in the region has the highest fat content in France, but people here live the longest in the country, while their blood pressure and coronary heart diseases rates are the lowest! The Gasconians themselves attribute it to the healthiest ingredients, garlic, wine, and Armagnac, of course!

Typical meals of the Gascony region embody three adjectives - hearty (as in rich), unpretentious (as in rural), and delicious. In spite of its proximity to Provence, the cuisines of the two regions have nothing in common. Quite opposite to the sun-lit Provence with the abundance of olive oil, vegetables, and a variety of meats and fish, in Gascony duck rules the table.

Duck is stewed, cured, poached, smoked, dried, fried, and roasted; all parts of it are utilized including liver, which is used for making spectacular foie gras; neck, which is served stuffed with truffles; gizzards are fried and used in salads. Finally, goose and duck fat is used instead of butter and olive oil.

The four most renowned dishes of the regions are these:

1. Cassoulet is the heart-and-stomach-warming casserole that signifies the richness of Gascony. The key ingredients are local white beans, duck, pork rind, and Toulouse sausage. I've also seen recipes that include lamb, pork, and even ribs. Very similarly to pilav there are dozens of recipes of the dish, each one claiming to be authentic. However, Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Castelnaudary lay most serious claims to the origin and the authenticity of the perfect cassoulet. I've had it in both Toulouse and Carcassonne and found the latter much tastier and more delicate, in a way.

2. Saucisse de Toulouse - the origins of this garlicky fatty sausage, which is a key ingredient of Caussoulet, is not being disputed by rivals. You'll many see shops in Toulouse displaying coils of uncooked sausage in the windows.

3. Confit de Canard - a centuries-old method of preserving duck legs is very much in vogue today. First, the meat is cured for at least 36 hours, then poached till done and stored in its own fat. I'm not sure if this process is followed to a "t" in restaurants, but the confits I had were incredibly tender and delicious, with a distinct flavor that is typical in duck. Usually, it is accompanied by potato slices, fried to perfect crispness in ... well, you guessed it - duck or goose fat!

4. "Foie Gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France".

French rural code

Is there anything else to be added? This is the dish that I had fresh and well-prepared. Its buttery texture and unique delicate flavor make a rare combination that would want me cross the Atlantic again!

The wine
The Gauls and later, the Romans knew what they were doing when settled in the territory. The sun is hot and soil rich and quite different in the terroirs, which are the perfect conditions for growing grape. Gaillac appellation traces its history back to the Gallo-Roman times and is the second-oldest wine-growing region in modern France. Cotes du Frontonnais - another appellation, which makes wine predominantly from the Negrette grape variety, which is rarely found outside the area. It is used as the dominant variety in both red and rose wines, and brings a perfumed character to the wines, which are best drunk young.

Armagnac - "It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralyzed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits."

Cardinal Vital Du Four

Little needs to be said in addition to this quote of a Dominican philosopher, turned Cardinal, of the late 13C. Haven't experienced its effect on retardation of senility, but I certainly like the preservation of youth claims!

Somehow heavy flavoruful meals, light-textured wines, desserts, and Armagnac as the finishing touch, easily come together for a tremendous-sounding concerto of rural gastronomic sophistication it its purity and simplicity! Beware though, that if you have a lot to see and do, this type of food brings your mental and physical activity to null.

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Toulouse Impressions: words to know before you head to Southwestern France

Basic Terms to know when going to Southwestern France

Albigensian Crusade - a series of formal Crusades, interspersed with continual warfare against the people of the Languedoc which lasted for some forty years. The Crusades are conventionally held to have ended in 1244, though Cathars were still being burned alive into the fourteenth century.  An Inquisition was founded to extirpate the last vestiges of Cathar belief.

Catharism (Cathars, see also Albigensians) - a name given to a Christian religious sect that appeared in the Languedoc region of France in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Catholic Church regarded the sect as dangerously heretical. Peaceful attempts at Cathars' conversion undertaken by Dominicans were not very successful and the Church called for a crusade, which was carried out by knights from northern France and Germany and was known as the Albigensian Crusade.

Cassoulet - a traditional dish of the Occitan area. This rich slow-cooked stew is made with white beans, duck / goose, and a pork sausage (can also include lamb and pork).

Gascony (Gascogne) - is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. Gascony was historically inhabited by Basque-related people who appear to have spoken a language similar to Basque. The name Gascony comes from the same root as the word Basque (Wasconia). From medieval times until the nineteenth century, the Gascon language was spoken, which is a regional variant of the Occitan Language.

Occitane - is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, the Occitan Valleys of Italy, Monaco, and in Catalonia, Spain, the regions sometimes known informally as Occitania. It is also spoken in the linguistic enclave of Guardia Piemontese (Calabria, Italy). It is an official language in Catalonia (known as Aranese in Val d'Aran). Modern Occitan is the closest relative of Catalan. The languages, as spoken in early medieval times, might be considered variant forms of the same language. The term Provençal is often used to refer to Occitan.

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Carcassonne, France

The Cite from the bridge

On our way to Carcassonne I heard that it laid in a rather neglected region of France, so it is mostly overlooked by tourists. This or the off-peak season being the reasons, Carcassonne was so comfortably deserted! Alas, for the same reason(s) there were no guided tours and traditional jousting but I know the Big Nomad was happy we missed these typical tourist must-dos!

We spent there a great deal of time at Carcassonne - browsing through the Fortress and the city, having unhurried lunch and breaks, having caught the sunset that made the castle gleam under the light!

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site it is a fortified medieval French town, complete with a Castle, a fortress, a basilica, the ramparts. The hilltop was identified as a strategic location by the Romans and the Colonia Julia Carcase was established here between 43 and 30 B.C. In 462 the Romans officially ceded the western colonies to the Visigoths; he built more fortifications at Carcassonne: traces of them still stand. Saracens from Barcelona took Carcassonne in 725. King Pepin the Short drove them away in 759-60 he was unable to penetrate the impregnable fortress of Carcassonne. 

In 1067 Carcassonne became the property of Count Trencavel through his marriage. Carcassonne became famous in its role in the Albigensian Crusades, when the city was a stronghold of Occitan Cathars. In August 1209 the crusading army of Simon de Montfort forced its citizens to surrender. After capturing Trencavel, imprisoning him and allowing him to die, Montfort made himself the new viscount. He added to the fortifications. Carcassonne became a border citadel between France and the kingdom of Aragon (Spain). The city submitted to the rule of the kingdom of France in 1247, and King Louis IX founded the new part of the town across the river. He and his successor Philip III built the outer ramparts.

In 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees transferred the border province of Roussillon to France, and Carcassonne's military significance was reduced. Fortifications were abandoned, and the city became mainly an economic center that concentrated on the woollen textile industry. 

Carcassonne was struck from the roster of official fortifications under Napoleon and the Restoration, and the fortified cité fell into such disrepair that the French government decided that it should be demolished in 1859. The mayor of Carcassonne, Jean-Pierre Cros-Mayrevieille, and the writer Prosper Mérimée, the first inspector of ancient monuments, led a campaign to preserve the fortress as a historical monument. Later in the year the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was commissioned to renovate the place. Carcassonne is agreed to be a work of his genius, though not of strictest authenticity.
Credits: Wikipedia

This is a rare case of pictures being worth a thousand of words...

 

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Toulouse Impressions: things to do with kids

The city offers many places of interest for the kids. The places below will most certainly dilute the historical and religious emphasis of the city's sights:

Musee d'Historie Naturelle

This museum is certainly not as overwhelming as the one in Brussels but the Nomads still spent good 3 hours roaming the exhibits, touching, asking questions, trying. 

I found the 5 themes of the exhibitions incredibly well-presented, especially for the kids from 6+:

-Earth power (minerals, solar system, volcanic activity, earth history, fossils): you can feel the earth move at the time of an earthquake and watch a movie on continents shifts.

-Botanical and bio hierarchy. This was a bit scholarly for my Nomads, but a great exhibit to give the kids the basics of the structure.

-Continuity of Life. In simpler terms, your dinosaur exhibit, which takes you beyond a mere T-rex. 

-Functions of Living Beings.

-The future: focus on environmental impact and human relationship with nature

The museum provided no information in English beside the museum plan. So I thanked my school teachers for being to recall the basics of the school program...

After visiting the human impact on environment exhibit, the Little Nomad says:
Ok, I understand that I have only one choice - to die right now rather than see what will happen to the planet. 

We also caught a new exhibit Prehistory, the Investigation. Having discovered two skeletons, the team launches a forensic search for their origins, environment, way of life, etc.

The museum also has a botanical garden, which the Nomads absolutely refused to visit. 

Jardin Royal, Grand Rond, Jardine des Plantes

3 parks connected with each other occupy about 10 hectares of land. All three combined are a great way to spend a leisurely day with the kids: the Botanical Gardens, especially (not to be confused with the museum's gardens). There's a maze of trees studded with waterfalls, staircases, ponds, too many things to explore with an inquisitive child! A few cafes and a playground make it easy to spend hours here!

Musee St-Raymond

This museum presents the history of Toulouse through a easy-to-digest collection Gallo-Roman relics excavated on sites in Toulouse and Chiragan from the Bronze age to the year 1000. The basement of the museum houses remains of the necropolis of Saint-Sernin. It's not a hands-on museum but a great starting point for showing to the kids how the city evolved.

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Toulouse Impressions, continued

We walked a lot admiring Toulouse, trying to make the most of our few days there. It is a very easy city for walking - no cobblestone which kills high-heels and feet, no intertwined narrow streets, no confusing mazes. The Mediterranean warmth  instilled comfort and some peacefulness, falsely maybe, but nevertheless, it seemed so different from the reserved cool air of Nothern France.  
The food was definitely adding to the serenity factor - the traditional game meat, foie gras, and potatoes washed down with Gaillac or Frontonnais leave body no other choice but to go in a passive-defensive digestive coma.

Most of the architectural sights in Toulouse are either relatively "new", built the 17-18th century or they were built to replace the old structures. So is the case with the striking Capitole in the centre of the city.

La Capitole

The Capitole at night

The Capitole has been a seat of the municipality since the 12C. During frequent absences of the Count, the town councilors assumed a range of powers and oversaw operations of the city. Capitouls were elected for a year and were awarded titles of noblemen with a coats of arms. The regime of capitouls was abolished after the French Revolution.

After the 12-day fire of 1463 most of building was rebuilt. The present Capitole is a mix of styles from the 16C to 19C. The building was closed for a wedding ceremony so we couldn't go inside, but they say the halls are magnificent.

The square in front of the building once drew the border of the Roman town. Although it was created in the early 1800ies, it has immediately become a focal point of Toulouse. A large bronze Occitan cross covers the centre of the square's pavement. Usually empty, 12 balls of the cross are decorated with 12 horoscope signs by Raymond Moretti. He also created 29 coffers on the arcades of the ceiling opposite the Capitole retracing important events and citizens of the city. I only vividly remember the portrait of Ferma who worked in Toulouse.

Musee des Augustins

 The Gargoyle sculptures

Part of the charm of France (beside many other things) is in its creative ability to boldly combine seemingly polar concepts, textures, and materials. This is so well-reflected in their food, fashion style, and architecture. A rare city would dare top the sacred medieval symbol of the city with horoscope signs, plop a bizarre glass pyramid in the middle of the neo-Classical square, install an art museum in a former swimming pool. Exploring every city brings childish excitement of a new discovery that ties the impossible, as is the case with the Musee des Augustins.

Former monastery cloisters

The fine arts museum is housed in a former Augustinian monastery (built around 1310). The religious community was disbanded at the time of the Revolution and the building was used a museum. It is best known for the outstanding collection of Romanesque sculpture taken from the cloisters of Toulouse destroyed during the last century Cloisters, chapels, courtyard are well-used to display the art work and sculptures. The art collection is modest but well-represented to cover periods from Italian primitivists to impressionists. For me the art highlights were La Belle Epoque and neo-classical painters (and yet another death of Marat) and a work of Perugino.

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Toulouse Impressions

The rose-colored Toulouse (La Ville Rose) is most certainly a she-city with its air - warm, the color - sublime Mediterranean blend of red, rose, taupe, and yellow, the breeze - gentle.  It is not hurried, in spite of being the 5th largest city in France (after Lille), but relaxed and content. Thanks to its color and temperament Toulouse is compared to Spain and Italy rather than other French towns. Located on the banks of the River Garonne, it has a perfect location - half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, 2 hour-drive away from the Pyrenees ski resorts and the Mediterranean beaches.

The first recorded inhabitants are thought to be a Celtic tribe who settled here in the 3C BC. A century later it was colonized by the Romans and annexed to the Gallia Narbonensis colony. Till this day, a few architectural remnants of the Roman times remain. Conquered by the Visigoth in 418, it become the capital of a kingdom. In the 8C Charlemagne created the County of Toulouse, which was annexed to France in the 12C after the Albigensian Crusade by which the Papal Church reasserted its dominance. A period of prosperity of Toulouse marked the 15C, when a special blue dye extracted from locally-grown woad, made fortunes for many merchants in town. They built magnificent mansions and chateau that can still be visited today. After the decline of woad trade, maize, sunflower and other cereal crops were introduced in the 17C and they still remain the main agricultural focus of the area. The 18C saw the decline of the city and it was only after the WWI that Toulouse started to grow into France's high-tech centre. Aviation (Airbus plant) and space industries, electronics, satellite, software companies migrated to Toulouse.


Toulouse has a magnificent collection of the most unusual churches and basilicas: their history and architecture reflect tumultuous religious periods, having gone through stages of reconstruction and renditions. Nevertheless, this layer-upon-layer effect creates a puzzling and unique character that can be identified only with Toulouse. 

The Legend of St. Sernin

This story of the martyrdom is essential to the history of the area as it is omni-present. Saint Saturnin was one of 7 bishops sent by the Pope in an effort to christianize Gaul around 250. He was consecrated as the first bishop of Toulouse. The pagan priests ascribed silence of their gods to the presence of St. Sarnin. One day they seized him and on his unshakable refusal to sacrifice to the pagan gods, they tied him by the feet to a bull which dragged him about the town until the rope broke. The street taken by the bull exists today, Rue de Taur.

Religious buildings in Toulouse

Cathedrale St-Etienne
Its incoherent shape is a result of several periods of reconstruction, from 11 to 17C. Built on the site of an early Christian church of the 4C, the first building was ready in 1140. The 2nd wave of construction was interrupted by the Albergensian crusade in 1211 and when taken up again in 1268 the new bishop had a different vision- north Gothic instead of the Romanesque. When he died the nave was not built and so the earlier one remained. The cloisters and other buildings were demolished between 1812 and 1817 and some capitals of the Cathedrale that are now exhibited in the Musee des Augustins, date from the 12C.

Eglise des Jacobins

7 columns spread into ribs

The Dominican order was founded in Toulouse by Domingo de Guzman from Castile, later to become St. Dominic. in 1206 he was traveling from Italy to Spain and was horrified by the Albigensian heresy. He and his 6 followers initially lodged in a house of a wealthy resident of Toulouse; in 1215 he received a Papal approval for the Dominican order; in 1229 work began on a church and finished in 1235. In 1340 it was chosen as the final resting place of St. Thomas Aquinas whose relics still lie there.


Only the doorway remains of the first Romanesque building thanks to 4 different building campaigns that took place between 1230 and 1335. It was also badly damaged during and after the Revolution.

The inside of the church is quite austere, reflecting the Dominican postulates of self-denial. The rose and green colors of the columns and the ceiling faded.


Basilique St-Sernin

The original site built in 400, housed the body of St Sernin and the number of pilgrims was so great that a bigger building was required.

The work on this most photogenic religious building in Toulouse was started in 1096 and completed in the 14C.

Built of rose brick and stone in the shape of a Latin cross, it has radiating semi-circular chapels. The remains of the saint are vaulted in a lower crypt.


Eglise de Notre-Dame-du-Taur

Both the church and the street (Rue du Taur) take their name from the Occitan work for bull - a reference to the legend of St Sernin, who was dragged down the street. This church was the first burial place of the remains of the saint.

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