The origin of cassoulet dates back to medieval times. According to legend, cassoulet was born during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). During the siege of Castelnaudary by the English, the inhabitants, threatened by hunger, gathered everything they had to feed the city’s soldiers.
The bacon, pork, beans, sausages, and meat were slow-cooked in a large vessel. Energized by this meal, the Castelnaudary soldiers (the Chaurians) expelled the English from Lauragais up to the edge of the Canal. Thus, the recipe for cassoulet was born.
This "poor man's dish" was a complete meal, allowing leftovers to be used. This stew was cooked at the end of the 14th century in a dish with a particular shape, the cassole, which was created by an Italian around 1377 in Issel, a town near Castelnaudary.
Throughout the 17th century and up until the 19th century, the cassole became an important base for local production and consumption. After World War II, this local crop was abandoned in favor of more profitable ones. Cassoulet was then made with imported beans. But the quality of the product suffered, as the imported beans were mixed and it was difficult to achieve consistent quality and cooking levels.
In the mid-1990s, a union of cassoulet bean producers was formed to promote the production of Lauragais beans. Over ten years, production increased almost twentyfold (from 35 to 600 tons).
Another important detail is that cassoulet is usually served with a regional red wine: a Fitou, a Malepère, a Corbières, or a Minervois will be enough.
