Sylvie Bigar's life as a food writer has taken her far and wide to research the origins of many native dishes. One dish has captivated her above all: cassoulet, France's ancestral bean and meat stew. In her book, "Cassoulet Confessions," she shares her journey to Occitania (Languedoc) to learn from a cassoulet master and embed herself in cassoulet culinary culture. Along the way she uncovers a simmering pot of family memories from her childhood in Geneva.

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