Member-only story
Le Jambonneau de Porc
French Home Cooking at its Wintery Best
Anthony Bourdain once said, “Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life.” I couldn’t agree more though I may add storytelling as another attribute. David, one of my friends with a prominent seat at the table of the Holy Brotherhood of the Golden Stomach once lovingly described an impromptu meal he shared with a French friend several decades before.
The pair had gone out hunting game birds early one morning before returning home empty-handed and famished. His friend’s kitchen cupboards were filled with home-canned beans and preserved pork shanks, known as jambonneau. They heated a can of flageolet beans with a can of jambonneau to make a quick hearty meal for the two of them.
Before I go any further you must understand that David has a gift for prose that I lack. His words so vividly recalled this simple meal in such great detail, that when I read his words, I could literally smell the pork and beans simmering in my very own kitchen. I must confess this meal haunted me for months.
Last week I was shopping at Marche Atwater up in Montreal and came across a package of cured jambonneau in a shop. When I saw it, I felt like I had found the holy grail. The little ham triggered the memory of David’s story so fully that I found myself…
