La Soupe.

Lunch in this part of France is known as La Soupe. And that's exactly what it is.

There are two basic soups that are eaten by almost every country family; Vermicelli Soup (usually made with chicken stock), and Tourin which is much the same but with the Vermicelli being replaced by slices of stale country bread.

It has to be good natural bread, week old sour-dough is the best. When cooked for a while, the bread becomes gelatinous and delicious. This is a peasant dish; pure and simple. You could try it with Ciabata, but certainly not Mother's Pride.

Plenty of crushed Garlic is fried in a small amount of duck fat, a dash of white wine added, then a good chicken stock. The soup is seasoned to taste, parsley and ground black pepper added, then the slices of bread placed on the top. Having then been cooked for a while it is left for an hour or two before re-heating for lunch. Occasionally cheese is grated onto the top, but this is not essential.

There is another local tradition involved with one's lunchtime Soup. When down to one's final soup-spoon of soup, half a glass of red wine is poured in, and the whole lot drunk direct from the bowl. This is called chabrol or faire chabrot, and is an everyday practice.

                               

How the other half lives, eh?.... French internal central heating. Lovely.