In the Quercy region at the turn of the 19th century, the meal structure was not divided into starter-main course-dessert as in Paris. The day revolved around the large evening soup (the supper, often a simple bread-soaked soup that served as the whole meal), the treats reserved for feast and market days, and preserved provisions—walnuts, house wines, preserves—that every household in the Lot kept in stock. To this, Champollion's life added a fourth register: the traveler's table, the one he discovered in Egypt in 1828-1829, far from the family hearth.

The Figeac region is walnut country. The walnut is eaten fresh, dried, ground in pastries, and above all pressed into an amber oil with a toasted flavor that perfumes soups and salads when butter is scarce. It is the rich, fragrant thread that ties together the cuisine of this provincial table.