Trou de Cul

At least that's what the little signs in front of the cheeses in the displays read. Those Toulousans have a wild sense of humor. It wasn't until we looked at the label that we saw that the actual name of the cheese was Trou de Cru. I bought a few of the small slightly slimy amber colored objects, the size of a ratther large cork. The cheeses were in little paper "cups" like little cupcakes.
Upon reading the label, I found that the cheeses were made in the Bourgonge at the Berthaud Fromagier, which I already knew as the premier mark of Epoisses, which I consider one of the best cheeses on the planet. I read more about the Trou de Cru and found that it is considered a "mini" epoisses, but because of the small size, it ripens much faster. It is highly fragrant.
If you are not familiar with Epoisses, it is a raw cows milk cheese which is made the same way as a Munster, but it is "washed" during in affinage with marc instead of salt water. Marc is a clear grape alcohol.
The Epoisses develops a flavor that is influenced by the alcohol, but it has a taste of hay and a slight floral scent, but let's be frank, it stinks.
The Trou de Cru is made the same way and has the same flavor and odor, but perhaps more so. Perhaps this is why the inhabitants of Toulouse, where I bought the cheese have lovingly bestowed the name Trou de Cul........
I was in Toulouse to accompany my nephew who was flying from there back to England where he was to catch his flight back to Thailand. We decided it would be fun to go to Toulouse for a day and stay the night.
It was pretty easy and now we wonder why we hadn't done it before. We took the SNCF from Brive la Gaillarde and were at the Gare Matabiau in a little more than 2 hours. The station in Toulouse is a classic grand beaux arts building and it seems to be theatrically placed, set apart from the city across the Canal du Midi, which cuts through the town. The canal is a working waterway with locks.
I had been to Toulouse in 1999, stranded there for 3 days after the Tempest shut down the trains and wreaked havoc as I landed there 2 days after Christmas. It was cold and grey and I was concerned about getting out of the cheap hotel I was staying in and the city was torn up with construction. I was surprised at the hordes of tacky prostitutes that seemed to be running amok all through the part of the city I was in.
This time, the sun was shining and Toulouse revealed itself as one of the most beutiful cities I have ever seen. It has the name La Ville Rose because the architecture is primarily red brick, as most of the cities in the region. Limestone was used with the bricks to give variety. The bricks are arranged in endless patterns. The use of bricks started before 1000 ad, so the full range of styles are well represented.
Toulouse was and is a very wealthy city. I found the Toulouse of 2009 to be a very hip, affluent place, but at the same time it seems to mix the classes through out the inner old city. There are old and poor, young and rich, business and culture all existing together.
I found a well recommended hotel with a double room for under 40 Euros a night. It was bare bones, but quiet, comfortable and clean.
The city has hundreds of restaurants. Toulousans seem to be very gourmand. The region is famous for Cassoulet and charcuterie. The saucisse de Toulouse is a standard throughout France and of course as much of the cuisine of the southwest, there are many dishes and ways to cook geese and ducks. I really enjoyed my visit to the L'Halle, the huge market at the Place Jean Jaures, which is where I bought the Trou de Cru. Across the street from tthe market place, we found a very lively scene at a Bistro named Le J'go...kind of a Franglais pun...Gigot...a leg of lamb...J'go...I go there...
We made reservations and went there and I had Gigot and beans, my wife had the Porc noir...which was probably the best grilled piece of pork I have ever tasted. Not a place for vegetarians, but I whole heartedly recommend this lively modern bistro.
The daylight hours were spent walking and enjoying the architecture. The incredible almost surreal Cathedral of St. Etienne, an asymetrical building like nothing I have ever seen, has incredible stained glass and a baroque interior.
Then there is the the Basilica Saint-Sernin which is a massive red brick structure, that evolved over 400 year period. The below the Basilica is a haven for used book stores on the Rue de Taur. The entire old city is a warren of medieval streets and lanes, with entries opening into interior courts of great dwellings, all in the individual style of Toulouse through the ages.
I hadn't intended to write a travelogue of Toulouse, but, I was so over whelmed by this great historical city, where the old language of Occitan still lives, that I had to share a little bit. I know that I will plan to spend much more time there the next opportunity I get.