• Some say that it appeared after the discovery of the new world by Christopher Columbus. The beans, which make it up, were originally imported from the Americas by him.
• Others say that during the "100 years war" (1337 – 1453), when Castelnaudary was under siege. The mayor of the city ordered the preparation of one dish, made up of all the foods available, so the besieged would keep a full stomach.
• Finally some think that the cassoulet was brought by the Arabs during the 12th century. They brought with them the white "broad bean" which they prepared with sheep. The  "broad bean" being later replaced with the beans Christopher Columbus brought back from the Americas.

Many villages in the South-West (Sud-ouest: Toulouse region) have their own recipe for cassoulet.

Most consider the village of Castelnaudary the official cassoulet capital of the world. If you are traveling between Toulouse and Carcassonne, you can stop in this beautiful village and have a delicious and filling cassoulet lunch or dinner.

Cassoulet is a famous French dish which is fairly easy to prepare. It is basically a rich, hearty stew of various meats, beans, fats and herbs. The following recipe is my favorite for cooking at home. Try it! It's DE-LI-CIOUS!

1 lb white navy beans
1 small duck - cut into 8 serving pieces
1/2 lb pork stew meat
1/2 lb lamb stew meat
2 medium onions - diced
1/4 slab of bacon - cut into 3/4" cubes
2 tb minced garlic
1/2 lb spicy pork sausage
2 c water
2 c red wine
12 black peppercorns
2 sprigs thyme (or 2 tb dried)
4 bay leaves
1 tb dried fennel
1 small sprig rosemary (or 1 tb dried)

Place the beans in cold water and soak overnight. The next day, place a heavy pot (like a turkey roaster) over two burners on the stove over medium heat and cook the duck pieces on both sides to render some of the fat. This takes about 15 minutes total. Remove the duck and set aside. Increase heat to high and add the pork. Brown well, remove from the pot and set aside. Brown the lamb. Remove and set aside. Preheat oven to 300F. Pour off and discard most of the fat, leaving just about 3 tablespoons in the pot. Lower heat to medium and add the onions. Cook, stirring until onions soften, about 7 minutes. Add drained beans, bacon, garlic and herbs and replace the duck, pork and lamb. Add the water and wine, cover and place in the oven for two hours. Add the sausages and salt as desired. Replace in the oven another hour.
Tip: What's the key to a fantastic cassoulet? Drink plenty of red wine while making it, and don't forget to respond only in French when someone asks if it's ready yet! Bon appetite!

Some links about cassoulet:
The Universal Academy of Cassoulet (in English)
The Offcial site for the city of Castelnaudary (in French)