• Send to a Friend  Cassoulet: A Brief History  P erhaps there
is no dish in the Southwest France more iconic, cherished, and
controversial than the cassoulet. The name cassoulet comes from
the word cassole, referring to the traditional, conical clay pot
in which it is cooked (and which the potters of the village of
Issel perfected).  Cassoulet - Our Products – Dartagnan.com
Cassoulet was originally a food of peasants--a simple assemblage
of what ingredients were available: white beans with pork,
sausage, duck confit, gizzards, cooked together for a long time.
And although it is essentially a humble stew of beans and meat,
cassoulet is the cause of much drama and debate. Andre Daguin, a
famous chef of Gascony says, “Cassoulet is not really a recipe,
it’s a way to argue among neighboring villages of Gascony.” Much
like chili cook-offs in Texas, cassoulet cooking competitions
are held, not only in France, but now even in the United States.
The dish has developed an almost mythological importance to the
people