The manifesto
Aligot has no lobby. No union, no logo, no budget.
It has grandmothers, wooden spoons and people who stir. That was enough for centuries; it no longer is. All over the place, "cheesy mashed potatoes" borrow its name, aligots don't stretch, and menus print it in small letters at the bottom of the page.
So we are taking it on. This site is a blog: we talk about aligot, fresh tome and Aveyron cooking, and we say clearly what we expect from a real dish.
What we ask for
- Stop calling it "cheesy mashed potatoes". It is aligot, and it deserves respect.
- Use real fresh tome. Not just any melting cheese: fresh tome from the Aubrac, young and barely aged. Without it, it doesn't stretch.
- Start from real potatoes. Some shortcut it with instant mash flakes. Flakes belong in packets. We explain why here.
- Stir it all the way through. In the same direction, for a long time, until the ribbon stretches. If it snaps, it isn't done.
- Serve it generously. By the ladle, with a good sausage on the side. Aligot has never been diet food.
- Give it its true place on the menu. Not a "side dish": a dish with its own name, its own history and its own following.
More than a dish
Back home, aligot is not eaten alone in front of a screen. It is made together: one person holds the pot, another lifts the ladle, the children watch the strand rise higher and higher. It was a staple food; it became the dish of feasts, weddings and village meals.
It is also a way of saying where you come from. When someone from Aveyron moves to Paris, chances are the first thing they look for is where to find it again.
Spread the word
A lobby only works if there are many of us. Send this site to someone who loves cheese, or to someone who has never tasted it.