Aligot is a specialty offered by many cafés and brasseries in Paris. Aligot comes from the Aubrac region, a gigantic plateau in the south of Auvergne, where many Parisian bistro owners historically come from.
It’s mashed potatoes mixed with melted cheese, “tome” from Aubrac region of the Aveyron. You have to work it and stretch it before serving it. It In recent years, there have even been competitions à Montmartre for example, for the person who can make the longest aligot thread without breaking it.
But aligot is more than a dish, it is a historical heritage and the gastronomic emblem of the Aubrac region. And also the example of successful economic development because it is virtuous and respectful of the traditions and the environment of a magnificent rural country renowned for its wild beauty.
Telling the story of Aligot is telling a story whose origins go back 2000 years. In the Gallo-Roman era, the route of the Agrippa Way linking Toulouse and Bordeaux to Lyon crossed the Aubrac mountains in the middle. This communication route, still in use in the Middle Ages, was used by the first pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
The crossing of Aubrac was particularly dangerous due to snowstorms which could surprise the pilgrim. In 1120, Adalard, lord of Flanders and pilgrim, almost perished while crossing the Aubrac plateaus. Firs, he is attacked by a horde of bandits robbing travelers. On his return, he is surprised by a snowstorm. Emerging safely from this ordeal, he promised to “build in these places a house of refuge for the traveler and to drive from these mountains the thieves who infested them”.
The construction of the Aubrac monastery to help pilgrims in this wild region began after 1120. In 1353, the monastery was equipped with a 30 m high tower intended to fight not only against the highwaymen who infested the region but also to protect themselves from the english during the Hundred Years’ War. Hence its name Tour des Anglais. The church tower contains the Maria bell, known as the “bell of the lost”. As its nickname indicates, its vocation was to guide pilgrims lost in the snow or fog towards the Dômerie.
When pilgrims found refuge at the Monastery of Aubrac, they asked for “something” to eat, or Aliquid in Latin. This is the origin of the word aligot. The monks served them a mixture of bread and fresh Tome. Bread was replaced by the potato in the late 18th century after it was brought back from the New World.
At the end of the sixties, Aubrac resisted the modernization and standardization of modern agriculture. The farmers there chose to keep their breeds of cows and their ways of doing things by continuing to press their Laguiole raw milk cheese and to make fresh tome. By creating the “Jeune Montagne” cooperative, they organized themselves to market their products without falling under the control of the industrial milk giants. With growing commercial success. The whole country of Aubrac followed them, breeders, butchers and great restaurateurs like Michel Bras (3 Michelin stars during decennies). Today Aubrac is a regional natural park which attracts many tourists in search of authenticity. And since 2023, Aligot de l’Aubrac has been protected by a geographical indication.
The beautiful aubrac cows
Aubrac is also the name of one of the most beautiful breeds of French cows. They are renowned for their beauty with their black-rimmed eyes. And they spend every spring and summer on the plateau in freedom. The transhumance at the end of May is the occasion for a big celebration and long marches to accompany your herds amid the sounds of bells and cows covered in flowers. This is everything that the Aubrac aligot symbolizes;