Castelnaudary

Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary
Administration
Country France
Region Languedoc-Roussillon
Department Aude
Arrondissement Carcassonne
Intercommunality Castelnaudary et Bassin lauraguais
Mayor Patrick Maugard (PS)
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 145–215 m (476–705 ft)
(avg. 165 m/541 ft)
Land area1 47.72 km2 (18.42 sq mi)
Population2 11,544  (2008)
 - Density 242 /km2 (630 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 11076/ 11400
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Castelnaudary (Occitan: Castèlnòu d'Arri) is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in south France. It is 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.

Contents

Geography

Castelnaudary is a market town, and the capital of the territory of Lauragais. The town is located 50 km 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 7ha the largest open area of water in the canal, and is today its major pleasure port.

History

Origin of the name

Castelnaudary comes from the Occitan Castèlnòu d'Arri, the Latin Castellum Novum Arri, or Arrius' new castle.

Major Events

Population

Historical population of Castelnaudary
Year 1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851 1856
Population 7871 7610 7924 9493 9886 10,186 9993 9635 9992 9652
Year 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896 1901
Population 9584 9075 9328 9042 10,059 10,105 10,059 9720 9397
Year 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954 1962 1968
Population 9362 9542 7921 7891 8054 8246 8073 8765 9343 9936
Year 1975 1982 1990 1999 2008
Population 10,118 10,750 10,970 10,851 11,544

Its inhabitants are called Chauriens.

Sights

Personalities

Castelnaudary was the birthplace of:

Miscellaneous

The 4th Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion has been based in Castelnaudary since 1976, and the base is open to the public on 30 April and at Christmas.

Castelnaudary is the self-proclaimed "World Capital of Cassoulet". The ingredients of this dish are a matter of debate. It generally includes haricot tarbais beans, duck confit, garlic sausage, pork hock or skin to season. It may contain the specialty sausage of Toulouse and either mutton or pork and has been known to contain partridge as well. Traditional peasant versions of the recipe can take two days or more to prepare. The traditional cooking vessel is an earthenware pot called a cassole for which the dish is named.

Rick Stein did an in-depth feature on the Castelnaudary cassoulet in an episode of Rick Stein's French Odyssey and the recipe he settled on as most authentic can be found on the BBC Food website [1].

See also

References

Catlos, Brian (2004). The Rough Guide to Languedoc and Roussillon. Rough Guides. pp. 107–110. ISBN 1-84353-244-1. 

André, Jacques (2003). Guide du Canal du Midi. Vert-Azur. pp. 107–113. ISBN 2-911793-01-3. 

External links