The French Bean Pot

Cassoulet, like other hearty dishes that come to mind, is peasant fare. It is a specialty of the Languedoc, the southwestern region of France between Spain and Provence. Three towns—Toulouse, Castelnaudary, and Carcassonne—claim to make le vrai cassoulet (the true cassoulet). The battle over authenticity can grow very heated, indeed, and to the combatants the distinctions are vast. For our purposes, suffice it to say that cassoulet is a dish of white beans and meats, long simmered together, as rich and fragrant a pot of baked beans as you’re ever likely to eat.