National Cassoulet Day and National Apricot Day in United States

Cassoulet, a hearty slow-simmered stew of sausage, confit (typically duck), pork, and white beans, is one of the great hallmarks of French country cuisine. The best versions are cooked for hours until the beans and meat meld into a dish of luxuriant, velvety richness.

One legend places the birth of cassoulet during the siege of Castelnaudary by the Black Prince, Edward the Prince of Wales, in 1355. The besieged townspeople gathered their remaining food to create a big stew cooked in a cauldron.

As for National Apricot Day, the apricots have been around for over 4000 years. In the United States, apricots are grown in California, Indiana and Washington. Fresh U.S. apricots are available from mid-May to mid-August.

The apricot trees are believed to have arrived in the early American colonies in seed form for growing into fruit trees by the French explorers of the 1700's in Gulf regions and in the Eastern United States and at California monasteries by Spanish explorers and missionaries.