Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary (; ) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it is a major producer. Geography. Castelnaudary is a market town, and the capital of the territory of Lauragais. The town is located southeast of Toulouse, about midway along the route from that city to the Mediterranean. This route has been used since at least Roman times, and today carries road, motorway (A61), rail and canal links. Castelnaudary  is the main port of the Canal du Midi to which it owed a period of prosperity in the 17th century when agricultural and manufactured produce became easier to export. The "Grand Bassin" in the town is at 7 ha the largest open area of water in the canal, and is today its major pleasure port. History. Roman staging post. In Roman times the location of the town was a staging post on the Narbonne-Toulouse road, and called Sostomagus. Origin of the name. Castelnaudary comes from the Occitan "Castèlnòu d'Arri" — Latin translation "Castellum Novum Arri" — meaning "Arrius' new castle . Population. Its inhabitants are called Chauriens". Personalities. Castelnaudary was the birthplace of: Military base. The 4th Foreign Regiment of the French Army has been stationed in Castelnaudary since 1976, and the base is open to the public on 30 April (Camerone Day) and at Christmas. Cassoulet. Castelnaudary styles itself "Capitale Mondiale du Cassoulet" ("World Capital of Cassoulet") and the apocryphal legend of the genesis of this dish (originally called "estofat") relates that it was first served to the defenders of the town during the siege of 1355. The town is home to the "La Grande Confrérie du Cassoulet de Castelnaudary  (The Brotherhood of Castelnaudary's cassoulet"), an organization which seeks to promote and preserve the dish and its associated traditions. An annual festival celebrating cassoulet "fête du Cassoulet" is held in the last full week of August; the town center is thusly crowded with various versions of the traditional dish on that date. The cassoulet variant favored in this town is based on the local haricot bean (which is the subject of a protected status application). It also includes goose or duck confit, pork, and Toulouse sausage. Traditional peasant versions of the recipe can take two days or more to  prepare. The traditional cooking vessel is an eponymous earthenware pot called a "cassole." Rick Stein featured the Castelnaudary cassoulet in an episode of "Rick Stein's French Odyssey" and his recipe can be found on the BBC Food website.