More than thirty years ago, Jeanne Strang wrote a classic book about the cuisine of Southwest France, Goose Fat & Garlic. She based her recipes on extensive research and personal experience, having owned a house in Aveyron since 1961.

Goose Fat & Garlic is not only a practical cookbook. It is also an evocation of life in rural France. Jeanne included anecdotes about illegally fishing for crayfish or mushroom hunting alongside observations about social customs and historical traditions.

Magrets & Mushrooms

Sadly, Jeanne died in August 2023, but she had already written the complete manuscript of a follow-up. Magrets & Mushrooms: More Country Recipes from South-West France was published recently.

I don’t often feature books on the blog, but I made an exception in this case. I met Jeanne at the launch party when Goose Fat & Garlic was reissued in 2011. We corresponded a couple of times after that. I often dip into Goose Fat & Garlic, not only for the recipes but also for Jeanne Strang’s informative and accessible writing.

Magrets [duck breasts] & Mushrooms is a slimmer volume than its predecessor, but just as informative and passionate about rural France. Many of the recipes are new, gleaned from friends and neighbours or restaurateurs. Jeanne even found a recipe for a chestnut pâté tacked to a door following the annual chestnut fair in the Cantal village of Mourjou.

Changing times

Some of the recipes are old favourites, which Jeanne brings up to date with a fresh twist or new ingredients. As she acknowledges in her introduction, times have changed, even in la France profonde, since she published her first book. She writes, “Children of today cannot believe what they are told by their grandparents about the rigours of life…not so long ago.” Effectively, Jeanne’s two books chart the social history of Southwest France over a period of rapid change.

Primitive country kitchens have been modernised, and the car has provided access to places that were out of reach fifty years ago. A French woman told me a few years ago, “It wasn’t the washing machine that brought greater freedom for women, it was the car.”

TV and social media and the availability of a wider range of produce have also had an influence. Jeanne cites filo pastry, butternut squash and ras el-hanout (herb and spice mixture from the Maghreb) among the products that are comparatively new to this area.

Even though people have had the opportunity to move away, they retain a great affection for their pays (area) and its traditions, often returning to their roots to retire. In this way, the traditional cooking of Southwest France has combined with influences from elsewhere.

Meat and no meat

Meat in its various forms has long been on the menu in country areas. When we first moved here, vegetarians had difficulty finding dishes they could eat in local restaurants. That has changed, and Jeanne includes a surprising number of non-meat dishes, especially among the soups and entrées. She devotes a whole chapter to vegetables. While the recipes sometimes call for duck fat or butter, you can always substitute olive or other oils.

If you have a principled objection to foie gras, I suggest you skip that section of the basse-cour (farmyard) chapter.

The word that best sums up Jeanne’s book is authenticity. Jeanne witnessed at first hand the things she writes about. She went to the markets, ate in the restaurants and shared meals and social events with neighbours. I’m glad she was able to write a second book, a worthy successor.

Magrets & Mushrooms (ckbk, 2024) is available either from the publisher or on Amazon via this link.  

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