Aligot

Traditionally made with the Tomme de Laguiole (Tomme fraîche), or Tomme d'Auvergne cheese, aligot is an Occitan speciality highly appreciated in the local gastronomy with Toulouse sausages or roast pork. Other cheeses are also used in place of Tomme, including Cantal,{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/18/garden/celebrating-regional-cooking-of-france.html|title = Celebrating Regional Cooking of France|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 18 November 1981|last1 = Wells|first1 = Patricia}} mozzarella{{cite web|url=http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001250.php|title=Too Many Chefs|access-date=24 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814152508/http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001250.php|archive-date=14 August 2016|url-status=dead}} and Laguiole. The choice of cheese is important, and strongly affects the result. Tomme is not easily available outside France; many other cheeses are reported to be too strong. The cheese must be mild, with a lactic tang, but not too much salt, and melt easily. A comparison of the cheeses available in the UK found creamy (rather than the crumbly variety) Lancashire to be best, rejecting most other suggestions;{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/05/how-to-cook-the-perfect-aligot-felicity-cloake |title=How to cook the perfect aligot |newspaper=The Guardian |author=Felicity Cloake |author-link=Felicity Cloake |date= 5 February 2020}} other cheeses will be needed where neither Tomme nor Lancashire are available. Floury, rather than waxy, potatoes are preferable.

Aligot is made from mashed potatoes blended with butter, cream, crushed garlic, and melted cheese. The dish is ready when it develops a smooth, elastic texture. While recipes vary, the Larousse Gastronomique{{cite web|url=http://cuisine.larousse.fr/recherche-transverse?q=aligot+sucr%C3%A9&btnSearch1.x=0&btnSearch1.y=0|title=Larousse Gastronomique|access-date=24 April 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213110330/http://cuisine.larousse.fr/recherche-transverse?q=aligot+sucr%C3%A9&btnSearch1.x=0&btnSearch1.y=0|archive-date=13 February 2013}} gives the ingredients as 1 kg potatoes; 500 g tomme fraîche, Laguiole, or Cantal cheese; 2 garlic cloves; 30 g butter; salt and pepper.

This dish was prepared for pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela who stopped for a night in that region.{{cite web | url = http://www.french-property.com/regions/midi_pyrenees/food-gastronomy/aligot-french-cheese/| title = Regions of France: Aveyron Aligot| access-date = 25 July 2015}} According to legend, aligot was originally prepared with bread, and potatoes were substituted after their introduction to France.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B1ByDwAAQBAJ&q=aligot&pg=PA114|title=Let's Eat France!: 1,250 specialty foods, 375 iconic recipes, 350 topics, 260 personalities, plus hundreds of maps, charts, tricks, tips, and anecdotes and everything else you want to know about the food of France|isbn=9781579658762|last1=Gaudry|first1=François-Régis|date=16 October 2018|publisher=Artisan Books }}{{Cite book|title=Mastering the Art of French Eating: From Paris Bistros to Farmhouse Kitchens, Lessons in Food and Love |last=Mah|first=Ann |publisher=Penguin|year=2013|isbn=9781101638156 |location=New York}} Today, it is enjoyed for village gatherings and celebrations as a main dish. Aligot is still cooked by hand in Aveyron homes and street markets. Aligot is traditionally served with Auvergne red wine.

The name aligot may have been derived from the Occitan alicouot, from the Latin aliquid, or from the Old French harigoter.{{Citation needed |reason= deriving aligot" from the Latin pronoun aliquid'' seems rather a stretch |date= February 2024 }}

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{{Reflist}}

• [https://culturecheesemag.com/recipes/french-cheese-dip-aligot Aligot recipe in the word on cheese culture magazine]
• [https://www.countrylife.co.uk/food-drink/recipes/greatest-recipes-ever-elizabeth-davids-cheesy-potato-25014 Aligot recipe in Country Life magazine]
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=D_GEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=aligot&hl=en Aligot recipe in The Modern Cheesemaker]
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=mIVKCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1186&lpg=PT1186&dq=aligot&hl=en Aligot recipe in The Science of Good Cooking]
• [https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/fren62116c06s001r027/aligot Advertisement for aligot recipe on CKBK recipe site (subscription required)]
• [https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/fren67413c10s001r011/aligot Advertisement for another aligot recipe on CKBK recipe site (subscription required)]
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=JmSbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT435&lpg=PT435&dq=aligot&hl=en Advertisement for Gubbeen, a book about an Irish farm] {{isbn|0857838512}}
• [https://guardianbookshop.com/rick-steins-secret-france-9781785943881 Advertisement for Rick Stein's Secret France] {{isbn|1473531713}}
• [https://www.channel4.com/programmes/sunday-brunch/articles/all/aligot-with-braised-toulouse-sausages/6108 Advertisement for Sunday Brunch, a talk show on Channel4 (registration required)]

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Category:French cuisine

Category:Occitan cuisine

Category:Cheese dishes

Category:Potato dishes

Category:Foods featuring butter