Aligot or truffade: stop mixing them up

On some menus, one is served in place of the other. Back home, that makes people wince. Both dishes combine potato and fresh tome, but they share neither the same history nor the same texture.

Aligot: the purée that stretches

Aligot comes from the Aubrac, a plateau spreading over the Aveyron, the Cantal and the Lozère. It is made of mashed potatoes, fresh tome, cream, butter and garlic. It is worked until it stretches.

Truffade: sliced potatoes with bacon

Truffade is a speciality of the Cantal. The potatoes are cut into slices and sautéed with bacon, then fresh tome is added. There is no purée: you eat whole potato slices coated in melted cheese.

In short

• Aligot: a purée, a cheese that stretches, a dish of the Aubrac.
• Truffade: sautéed potato slices with bacon, cheese added at the end, a dish of the Cantal.

What they share is fresh tome. For the rest, they are two distinct dishes, and each deserves its own name. Let's love both, and not call one by the other's name.