Traditional Sète Macaronade Recipe

Simmered in the style of Sète port families

An iconic dish of Languedoc, rich in pasta, melting beef, and a tomato sauce flavored with herbs and red wine.

Other Names

• Beef Macaronade

• Sète Macaronade

• Macaronade (Occitan: macaronada setòria)

Brotherhood and Heritage

The Brotherhood of the Sète Macaronade safeguards the local culinary heritage.

Founded in the early 1990s, it ensures the transmission of this emblematic dish, born from the union of Italian traditions (Neapolitan maccheroni) and Languedoc culture. Each year, the World Macaronade Championship celebrates conviviality and Sète identity.

Members in costume participate in local festivals, preserving the recipe, training young chefs, and promoting the dish in restaurants and cooking workshops.

History and Evolution

• 19th century: Italian workers arrive at Sète port, introducing macaroni and slow-cooked meat.

• 20th century: Adapted for family Sunday meals with local red wine and Mediterranean herbs.

• Contemporary era: Lighter, vegetarian, or street-food versions (“macaronade bowl”), retaining its convivial nature.

Main Variants

• Traditional Sète: Beef, tomato-red wine sauce, orange zest, long cooking with thickened sauce.

• Biterroise: More tomato-forward sauce, addition of local sausages.

• Contemporary chef (Michel Roux): Gratinated macaronis, shredded slow-cooked beef chuck, gourmet presentation.

• Street food: Concentrated sauce, shredded meat, served in a “bowl.”

Cultural Context and Legend

Legend tells of a Neapolitan fisherman who fell in love with a woman from Sète. One day he shared with her family a dish of macaroni from his native Italy. The pasta was adapted locally with slow-cooked meat, garlic, herbs, and Languedoc tomatoes. Thus, macaronade was born—a symbol of love, encounters, and Mediterranean fusion, still embodying today the convivial and fraternal spirit of Sète’s Occitan cuisine.

Geographic Origin and Status

• Country: France

• Region: Occitanie (Hérault)

• Status: Oral transmission – dish of Sète heritage

• Codified recipe: No, but defended by the Brotherhood

• Inventor: Italian-Sète community, 19th century

• Specifications: Meat (chuck, sausage, pork), hollow macaroni, red wine, tomato sauce, garlic, herbs, slow cooking mandatory

Reference Chefs and Establishments

Classic and contemporary:

• Le Mas Bleu – Sète: Traditional family version with beef cheek

• La Marine – Sète: Classic recipe with local red wine and slow cooking

• Chez François – Sète: Oven-gratinated for texture

• Maison Tarbouriech – Marseillan: Surf-and-turf adaptation around the Thau lagoon

• Auberge du Vieux-Port – Mèze: Original revisit with meat and squid

• Chef Michel Roux – Montpellier: Refined contemporary bistronomic interpretation

Local figures and transmission:

• Jean Brunelin: Sète chef and author, former head of the Taste Macaronade Brotherhood, defender and codifier of the traditional recipe

• Rudy Cerrato: Sète restaurateur promoting festive macaronade

• Paul Chollet – Les Poêlées de Pépé: Illustrates contemporary attachment of Sète chefs to this identity dish

Culinary Description

• Appearance: deep red, generous sauce coating pasta and shredded meat

• Texture: tender meat, soft pasta, lightly crisp surface

• Aromas: sun-dried tomato, red wine, garlic, olive oil

• Specialty: long simmer, pasta cooked separately, integrated into the sauce for aromatic intensity

Necessary Utensils

• Thick-bottomed pot or Dutch oven

• Chef’s knife

• Skimmer

• Colander

• Ladle

• Wooden spoon

Ingredients (6 servings)

Meats:

• 6 slices beef chuck

• 500 g pork short rib (croustillous)

• 400 g sausage

• 120 g sausage meat

Vegetables and aromatics:

• 3 onions

• 5 cloves

• 3–4 garlic cloves

• Fresh parsley

Sauce:

• 600–700 g fresh tomato coulis

• 1 glass of full-bodied red wine

Pasta:

• 500 g penne rigate or macaroni

Cheese (for serving):

• Grated mix of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, black pepper

Preparation Method

1. Prepare the brageoles (beef roulades)

• Trim beef slices to ~1 cm thickness

• Lay flat, season lightly with salt and pepper

• Place a spoonful of filling (sausage meat, garlic, parsley) in the center

• Roll into compact roulades, secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine

• Chill until ready

Tip: Slightly fibrous chuck ensures melting texture after long cooking

2. Initial cooking and sauce development

• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a cast-iron pot

• Sear brageoles on all sides until golden, then set aside

• Sauté sliced onions until lightly caramelized

• Add tomato coulis, allow to brown slightly

• Deglaze with red wine, scraping up browned bits, let reduce

• Return brageoles, add a whole onion studded with cloves and a little water, cover, simmer gently

3. Gradual addition of other meats

• Sear pork short rib pieces until golden

• Add to pot, simmer 2 h on low, add water if needed

• 15 minutes before end, sear sausage and add

Expected result: reddish-brown sauce, tender, flavorful meat

4. Pasta cooking and incorporation

• Boil large pot salted water (10 g/L)

• Cook macaroni or penne al dente

• Drain and mix into the pot to coat with sauce

• Gently combine, rest 5 min off heat

5. Finishing and serving

• Adjust seasoning

• Serve in a pot or family dish

• Sprinkle with grated cheese, crack black pepper

• Serve very hot with country bread and Languedoc red wine

Chef’s tip: Preparing the day before and reheating slowly enhances tenderness and sauce cohesion

Golden Rules

• Meat: only beef chuck for brageoles; up to three meats allowed

• Pasta: only macaroni

• Sauce: reddish-brown, long simmer mandatory

• Filling: sausage meat, garlic, parsley (alternatives: pancetta, hard-boiled egg)

• Cheese: Parmesan + Pecorino Romano, never Gruyère

Standards and Hygiene

• Meat core temperature ≥ 70 °C

• Maintain cold chain

• Storage: max 72 h at +3 °C

Chef Tips

• Recommended: red wine from Coteaux-du-Languedoc

• Sauce too red = insufficient cooking

• Chuck tolerates 2–3 h simmer without falling apart

Serving and Accompaniments

• Serve in pot or family dish

• Garnish: green salad, grilled vegetables

• Drinks: full-bodied Languedoc red wines, served at 16 °C

Nutritional Information (per serving)

• Energy: ~580 kcal

• Fat: 20 g

• Carbohydrates: 65 g

• Protein: 30 g

• Fiber: 5 g

• Allergens: gluten, sulfites, possible traces of lactose

Possible Adaptations

• Gluten-free: rice or corn pasta

• Vegetarian: eggplant and soy protein

• Lactose-free: lactose-free cheese or omitted