Vincent Simmons’ hometown is Mansura, Louisiana. It is known for a traditional event beyond Louisiana’s borders. As every year, the annual Cochon de Lait (“milk-fed pig”) festival takes place on the second weekend of May – also this time again. It begins today (May 12, 2011) and lasts until Sunday, May 15, 2011.
Cochon de Lait is a delecacy of the French cuisine that former long term Sheriff Fabius Odell “Potch” Didier (a key figure in Simmons’ case) loved to serve his guests on special occasions. A few weeks old milk-fed pigs are roasted for thirty-eight hours over slow fire before they are ready to be dished.
A commemorative plaque in the town that some of Napoleon’s ex-soldiers named after Mansura, Egypt, reads, “Mansura – incorporated 1860. Long recognized for its culinary artistry in the preparation of Cochon de Lait. The 1960 Louisiana Legislature officially designated Mansura “La Capitale de Cochon de Lait” in honor of its Centennial Year.”
The schedule of the event is available at cochondelaitfestival.com .
“Cochon De Lait” slideshow by gwapo39.
