February 2024 Newsletter
The iconic foods of Toulouse and my issue with brunch
To try:
Tomme d’Helette
On the Taste of Toulouse tours around Marché Victor Hugo, the tourists and I pick up our bounty to then gorge ourselves on, which is all washed down with a couple of bottles of wine. It’s not an easy job. I’m happy to take one for the team here. When it comes to selecting the day’s cheese, we encourage the tourists to choose something they’ve got their eye on - if you’re from Australia or New Zealand, then ideally something you could be arrested for back home. In case the guests are more than happy to go with our recommendations though, through trial and error, I’ve discovered some useful back ups. One of which is Tomme d’Helette.
This is a sheep’s milk cheese, une tomme de brebis, which are particularly popular in the south-west of France. These cheeses are an ancient tradition here due to the locality of the Pyrenees dotted with sheep out to pasture. Cheeses would have been made by the shepherds themselves or, in some cases, by Benedictine monks living in abbeys in the mountains. Tomme d’Helette is from Pays Basque (the Basque county) which straddles the border of France and Spain - Helette itself is a mountain valley village of provincial charm and farm animals.
Now, the cheese itself was chosen by one of my guests on a tour, and ever since that first bite, I’ve been besotted and recommend it as a contrast to the creamier, saltier, sharper cheeses on our roster. Tomme d’Helette is a firm cheese, incredibly mild yet tangy, lactic with a smooth finish, and often the group’s favourite cheese on the cheese board.
To watch:
Didier (1997) directed by Alain Chabat
Last month, I mentioned something about the French being daring enough to play around with film genre… and then I watched Didier. I think the only thing I can do right now is dive right in - so, here goes: Jean-Pierre is looking after a friend’s loveable, rowdy dog called Didier. Then, one night, out of the blue, Didier turns into a man. Alain Chabat - the film’s director - is this Labrador in a human body, skipping along tongue lolling, habitually sniffing asses, and Jean-Pierre - a football agent - has now found an excitable replacement for his team’s injured members. It’s ridiculous, but utterly joyous and touching as their relationship blossoms - and despite Didier’s antics and the inevitable complications of having a human as a pet, you come to love him just as much as grumpy Jean-Pierre does.
(Apologies, the only trailer available is clearly from 1997 as it is French in its entirety and practically gives away the plot, however, I’ve signed up to Mubi giving me easy access to French cinema with subtitles - you have no idea how difficult it is to find English subtitles in this country.
If you like French films and other indie genres, I have a referral code to get you 30 days of free access to Mubi, so send me one of those fancy new DMs if you’re interested!)
And onwards to February, to the first tulips of the year - just in time for Valentine’s Day - the foods that are iconic in Toulouse but whether all are worth trying is another matter, and that rant about the French brunch that has been brewing.
Happy leap year (yesterday)! Or should I say bonne année bissextile (which doesn’t even look French let alone something I could pronounce) - a day for women to take marriage proposals into their own hands; a UK tradition which is becoming increasingly outdated, along with the Scottish addition of wearing a red petticoat (I knew I’d need mine for something) as you propose to your beloved. In France, the tradition is to read the quadrennial La Bougie du Sapeur newspaper, published every 29th February. This tradition is much more contemporary; indeed, the newspaper sells out all others on the leap year. The romance of a fleeting February 29th isn’t lost on fellow Francophile Substackers Baby Blue and If Not, Paris, who celebrate the first anniversary of their meeting in Paris on this date four years ago - they are now married!
For such a short month, February has crawled by, almost aggressively grey and damp in defiance of last year’s picnic in the park - apparently this is how February should behave, none of that sunshine malarkey. So, naturally, this has kept me indoors, not that I need much encouragement - you’re unlikely to find me on a hiking track through the Pyrenees, or for that matter on a gentle walk, instead I’m ensconced in a cafe reviewing the local brunch - which I will get to shortly.
First though, the foods that Toulouse is famous for - what exactly are they? France is the country with the most Michelin stars throughout Europe – 625 to be exact – and can proudly declare some of the most iconic foods in the world as its own. Crêpes in the north to ratatouille in the south, we’re talking about a country demonstrating its culinary excellence in simple regional dishes. But, what do we know about the cuisine of Toulouse, that fourth largest city in the country?
While I highly encourage you to sign up to Jessica’s Taste of Toulouse tours to sample the food when you visit (assuming your trip here is imminent dear reader), it’s always worthwhile hitting the ground running with vague idea of the Toulousain food map. What food is worth trying? And what, quite simply, isn’t?
Here are the four dishes that gain the most screentime, along with my verdict: to try or not to try.
The 4 Foods of Toulouse… or there abouts
Aligot
Aligot is stringy, stretchy mashed potato that unspools as you drag your fork through it, mixed with sour cream and fresh chewy cheese - it’s a dish that needs a spotlight and a backing band because eating aligot is a performance.
This first dish on our list is the one that needs a bit of shoehorning into the category of Toulousain grub - that’s because its origins are actually from the mountains in central France. However, back in the Middle Ages local monks would shelter pilgrims walking the Santiago de Compostela which slices down from the mountains through Occitanie (the southwestern region of which Toulouse is the capital) towards Spain. So, hungry tummies spread the word and now it is devoured with gusto with its partner in crime: the Toulouse sausage.
To try or not to try: Oh lordy, yes. Who knew a plate of mashed potato could be such a satisfying lunch.
And now for the food Toulouse makes no qualms about championing - meat.