The founding of Revel, 1342. And the invention of cassoulet, soon afterwards?

According to local legend, on 8 June 1342 the king’s seneschal of Toulouse, Agot de Baux, took a walk in the forest of Vauré, a lawless place full of bandits and wild beasts. When he found a place that pleased him, he thrust a wooden stake into the ground and declared that this would be the centre of the next bastide royale: Revel!

Today, the hallowed spot where he planted his stake lies inside the tourist office on the ground floor of the bell tower in the centre of the market square. And since yesterday, this is exactly where two of my books are on sale. You can imagine how honoured I feel, and their presence is particularly appropriate because Lauragais recounts the early history of Revel, along with other highlights from the area’s past. 

Menu from the Midi explores French gastronomy from the farmer’s field to the dining room table, including the legendary role played by the English in the invention of cassoulet, sometime around 1355, just down the road in Castelnaudary. It is therefore equally fitting that Castelnaudary's tourist office now stocks both books too.

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