The Gooey Origins of France’s Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

With its humble origins as a winter comfort dish to its modern-day popularity thanks to social media, aligot has been a cheesy dish loved for centuries. Read the aligot history, its origins, and what makes it oozing and gooey:

Aligot History & Origins

Essentially, aligot is the cheesiest, gooiest mashed potatoes. The recipe consists of potatoes with garlic, butter, heavy cream, and cheese – specifically, fresh cheese from Southern France called Tomme. For every pound of potatoes, 1 cup of cheese is added.

There is a delicious reaction to this specific cheese and hot mashed potatoes as the oozing, stretchy texture is created through mixing and activation of the starches.

The dish originated in the 12th century in Southern France where monks of the regional monasteries of L’Aubrac were visited by pilgrims along the Santiago de Compostela who were seeking a hot winter dish to warm their bodies from the daily walks to and from Compostela. So the monks served bread with hot, melted cheese. Later in the 16th century, potatoes were mixed in and thus, aligot was born.

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