In 2008, award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar accepted an assignment to write about cassoulet, France’s ancestral bean and meat stew. Little did she know that this seemingly bland story would lead her to re-examine her privileged but dysfunctional childhood in Switzerland and force her to reckon with her identity and her own dramatic family history. Join Sylvie and Red as they discuss heritage, heartache and beans! Listen to Podcast.

This Minnesota-made cookware should be in your kitchen. ‘Let’s try to make your ideal cassole, and when your book comes out, we’ll have a cassole to go with ‘Cassoulet Confessions.’ And I thought that was a fabulous idea,” Bigar said. Read more.

"Cassoulet Confessions" explores life through the lens of this historic French stew, and builds a strong case for putting a clay pot on your stove. Read on Substack.

On a recent Thursday evening, within the rustic confines of Richardson’s Tavern at the Woodstock Inn & Resort, there was frost on the windowpane, a buzz in the air, and a three-day-old crust on an ancestral meat and bean stew. Read more.

I sat down with Sylvie and discussed how she came to be so obsessed by this seemingly humble dish. Read More.

Food writer Sylvie Bigar takes us through an amazing culinary journey, exploring the history and culture of cassoulet and why she became so obsessed with the iconic French dish. Listen to Podcast Interview.

I learnt to love food despite my mother’s eating disorder. It took years for me to understand that in order to remain thin, my mother was starving herself. Read Article.

Cassoulet is a classic French stew of duck, beans, sausage and herbs, which has various permutations depending on where you are. Here Sylvie Bigar shares one of her favourite versions.

This week on Inside Julia’s Kitchen, Todd Schulkin welcomes food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar to discuss her new memoir, Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family, and the Stew That Saved My Soul. Listen to Podcast.

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. Listen to Podcast.

More than a hill of beans: Cassoulet with Sylvie Bigar at Almond, February 9th. She’ll spill the beans of her quest, as well as the intricacies of Occitane’s famed rich and layered stew at Almond’s wonderful Artists and Writers series, co-presented with Stony Brook University’s Food Lab. Details.

The book "Cassoulet Confessions" is a memoir by food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar that reveals how a simple journalistic assignment sparked a culinary obsession and transcended into a quest for identity. Listen on WAMC's The Roundtable.

Just in time for Cassoulet Day on January 9, Susan Manfull and David Scott Allen had the opportunity to sit down with Sylvie Bigar, Swiss-French food and travel writer, to talk about her new book, Cassoulet Confessions. Read/Watch.

Cassoulet — Complex, Delicious, and a Metaphor for Life. Award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar found herself in 2008 “writing more about food than travel and had turned into a stroller-pushing Upper West Side Mama.” Needing to “escape,” as she admitted, ”she decided to head to France to research cassoulet… Listen to Podcast.

The Secret Jewish History of Cassoulet. A new book explores the history and connection between cholent and the classic French bean and pork dish. Review by Rachel Ringler.

The Frommer's Travel Show: French Food & Travel – Sylvie Bigar talked with Pauline about her travel memoir "Cassoulet Confessions". Listen to Podcast.

Fireside Read: Swiss-French writer Sylvie Bigar was living in New York in 2008 when she visited Occitanie in France to write about cassoulet, the region’s heritage dish. Read Review.

Livestream with Sylvie Bigar — award-winning food and travel writer, discussing Digestion of Food & Thoughts: Culture, Food, Digestion, Weight Balance. Watch it here.

Cassoulet Confessions: Le cassoulet de Toulouse. Sylvie Bigar (award-winning food and travel writer) invites readers on her journey in search of the culinary history of the Occitanie region. Recipe extracted from Cassoulet Confessions.

A perfect pairing: Gateway cassoulet - Much has been written about the complexities of this famous dish from southwest France. Try this ‘entry-level’ version at home, and serve it with one of our red wine matches for a hearty weekday treat. By Sylvie Bigar.

Food is common to everyone, but not everyone connects to it as deeply as food writer Sylvie Bigar does in her investigation of a French stew called cassoulet. Reviewed by Susan Huebert.

In 2008, veteran travel writer and part-time Bridgehampton resident Sylvie Bigar accepted an assignment to write about cassoulet, France’s ancestral bean and meat stew. Review by Lauren Chattman.

Gilly meets travel writer, Sylvie Bigar whose article about the rich history of the South West French cassoulet inspired a personal investigation into her often toxic family history and her own love affair with food. Listen to podcast.

A Life Recalled Through Cassoulet - A magazine assignment in hand, the Swiss-born food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar went off to Southwest France in 2008 to discover what made cassoulet... Review by Florence Fabricant

(Cassoulet Confessions is) a beautifully written book that's part memoir and part travel journal; and it paints a rich picture in words as she explores the Swiss, French, and Jewish cultures that shaped her life. Interview with The Cookbook Creative. Watch Video

Cassoulet Confessions: A Cassoulet for All Seasons. Review by Elisabeth Guédel

Liren Baker talks with Sylvie Bigar about how cassoulet has become a beloved dish in France, how she immersed herself in Carcassonne with her mentor and cassoulet master, Chef Eric Garcia, her beloved father, and more. Listen to podcast.

Same-Day Cassoulet - Her memoir includes recipes for traditional multiday cassoulets as well as this shortcut version, which is nothing short of mouthwatering. This smart, streamlined method turns the classic cassoulet recipe into a weeknight-friendly meal. Article by Paige Grandjean

«Cassoulet Confessions», un livre à dévorer sans modération. Review by Elisabeth Guédel

Joseph Planta interviews the award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar about her new memoir. Listen to Podcast

Blaze Baking with Rach and author Sylvie Bigar. Her honest and poignant memoir conveys hunger for authentic food and a sense of home, and these two ladies will be baking her thin apple tart. Watch Video

French Fridays: Cassoulet Confession. Review by Mardi Michels

IN MY KITCHEN - A Cozy Fall Stew Recipe With Hidden Depths- In the memoir ‘Cassoulet Confessions,’ Sylvie Bigar pursues profound truths in a pot of stew. Here, she shares her recipe for a particularly delicious one, plus cooking tips, favorite ingredients and how to make cheap wine appealing. Read More.

A Life Told in Dishes: Five Essential Food Memoirs - Sylvie Bigar Recommends Nora Ephron, Edward Lee, Diana Abu-Jaber, and More. Read More.

Culinary Contradictions - Growing up in Switzerland, I never ate pork—except, of course, when I did. Excerpted from Cassoulet Confessions. Read More.

Notes from an author: Sylvie Bigar on cassoulet, southwest France's iconic dish. Sylvie Bigar’s cassoulet-inspired odyssey across southwest France results in revelations about her family tree and a travelogue celebrating the rustic stew. Read More.

“A few days of solo travel through France with a delicious purpose” occasions self-discovery in this enticing debut from Swiss French travel writer Bigar…. This bittersweet guide is as satisfying as it is soulful. Read Review.

Cassoulet can feed an army and it led to wartime triumph for the French, one legend claims. It's still a crowd-pleaser today. Review by Audrey Bourget.

Bastille Day Cassoulet. It’s been a tradition in our household for many years to invite a group of friends or family to celebrate Bastille Day around the table. Almost always we’ll serve cassoulet, the quintessential French dish… Review by Christine Salins.

Dans son livre Cassoulet Confessions, l'auteur Sylvie Bigar mélange habilement son histoire personnelle à celle du cassoulet. Elle nous parle de son livre et nous donne ses tuyaux pour préparer un cassoulet mémorable. Listen to interview (in French).

How a simple journalistic assignment sparked a culinary obsession and transcended into a quest for identity. Excerpt from Cassoulet Confessions.

It had to be stew. In Cassoulet Confessions, food writer SYLVIE BIGAR discovers the secrets of the French stew. Her odyssey leads her on a journey to a meeting of minds, and palates. Excerpt from Cassoulet Confessions.

Put your napkin on and dig into this scrumptious selection of food-focused tomes, from cookbooks to memoirs. Review by Nicole Abadee.

Sylvie and the magical stew - Food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar was sent on assignment to cover a mysterious and delicious Occitan speciality — cassoulet. Listen to the full podcast.

Canberra Times review by Mark Thomas: Sylvie Bigar's literary ode to a single dish is a beguiling food memoir. Read review.