Huge oak and chestnut woods stretch out on the low and medium-high slopes of Cantal: Ideal conditions for raising pigs. The remoteness of the region also forced farmers to keep four different types of stocks: cured, dried, smoked or cooked in a glass.

In the middle of the cold season another pig was slaughtered. A tradition recalled in the small town of Besse with the Saint Cochon festival.
The event starts early with a big tasting of bacon, blood and liver sausages, rillettes, aspic or pig's heads.

The butchers will then show you how to flame a pig, remove the bristles and cut it up. Around noon the organizers organize a banquet in the community hall.
In the evening, a traditional beet soup is sold for the benefit of cancer aid. Street musicians provide entertainment throughout the day