Aveyron: Your questions answered

I'm super excited about the Aveyron Fair that's coming up this weekend (October 9-11 rue de l'Aubrac, Bercy, 11e). But when I mentioned it to a friend, she was like: "What the heck is Aveyron and why are you always yammering on about it?" Yikes, mes amis, I wasn't trying to be obscure! In preparation for the festivities, here are some questions answered about Aveyron.

What is Aveyron?

Aveyron is a département of France — that's kind of like a state in the U.S. — a mountainous region, 350 miles south of Paris. Reaching Aveyron is difficult as there is no TGV or direct train service. The closest train station is Clermont-Ferrand, which is still about 125 miles away. As a result, Aveyron is considered a bit remote and remains relatively undiscovered by tourists. The three-starred Michelin restaurant, Michel Bras, and ancient St-Jacques-de-Compestelle pilgrimage route are perhaps the biggest tourist draws.

But the word Aveyron seems kind of familiar… 

If you've visited a Parisian café, perhaps you've noticed a variation of the same word: Auvergne, Auvergnat, Aveyronais. Back in the 19th century, most Paris cafés were run by families from Aveyron, who left the secluded region to seek their fortune. They came to the capital, and opened combination café/coal shops, which evolved into the cafés we know and love today. Today, Aveyron is still synonymous with "café-owner." There's even a French word — bougnat — which translates to "coal seller from Aveyron." (If you're curious about this migration, check out this article.)

How do you know about Aveyron anyway?

I can take no credit for discovering Aveyron. It was my husband who befriended two café-owning, Aveyronais brothers when he lived in Paris as an exchange student. Twenty years — and many trips to Aveyron — later they're still friends (and my husband speaks great French). The full story of how they met is recorded here.

So, why is there an Aveyronais Fair in Paris? 

Think of it like the Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown. Aveyronais are very proud of their traditions, food, music, dress and dancing. Plus, after 100+ years as Parisian café owners, there are a whole heck of a lot of them here.

What's there to do at the fair?

Eat, my friends. Freshly fried savory pancakes called farcou. Charcuterie like dry-cured sausage or ham. Cheese like stinky bleu d'Auvergne, which tastes strong like Roquefort. Or fromage de Laguiole – cheese from the village of Laguiole —  hard, made from cow's milk cheese, reminiscent of cheddar. Wash it all down with local wine. (For my post from last year's fair, click here.)

What about the cheesy potatoes?

YES! Aveyron's most famous dish, aligot, will also be on offer. Aligot is quite simply mashed potatoes mixed with cheese with some crème fraîche thrown in for good measure.

I'm not going to be in Paris this weekend.  Can I still have an Aveyron experience even if I miss the fair?

Bien sûr! There are many Aveyronais cafés in Paris — our favorite, of course, is Le Mistral (401 rue des Pyrénées, 20e), which is owned by our friends, and was started by their father in 1954. Au Bon Coin (9 rue des Cloys, 18e), in Montmartre, is another charming and honest neighborhood spot, owned by another Aveyronais friend.