The essential products of Périgord
You like it Black Périgord for its world-renowned prehistoric heritage. But this territory is also famous for its specialties and cuisine which delight gastronomes and gourmets. Truffles, nuts, strawberries, duck confit but also goose foie gras or caviars... You can savor all these local products, from starter to dessert. Overview for a Périgord meal with quality products and dishes!
Truffle, the diamond of Périgord
Tuber Melanostrum is the best-known and most sought-after mushroom in the region. Truffle enhances and perfumes dishes with its very particular aroma. Although truffle growers have abandoned the help of pigs for trained dogs, they continue to harvest truffles from mid-November to mid-March. This practice is called “caving” and requires great know-how passed down from one generation to the next. The Vézère valley as well as that of the Dordogne are full of oaks and hazelnut trees that truffles particularly appreciate. To purchase this black diamond, go to the steps and don't miss the truffle festival in Sarlat, which takes place in mid-January, every year!
Foie gras: goose or duck?
Present since the 17th century in the southwest of France, the production of foie gras is recognized thanks to a rigorous selection of its geese and ducks. These palmipeds are regularly celebrated in the various fat markets in the region and in particular in Montignac-Lascaux, Thiviers or Sarlat. Goose or duck, it's a question of taste but you can enjoy foie gras in different ways:
- Raw: it can be pan-fried or prepared for preserves;
- Fresh: this means that it has already been cooked in a bain-marie;
- Semi-cooked: tender, it is eaten fresh, after having been cooked;
- Cooked or canned: the liver block can be stored for a long time.
And don’t hesitate to favor IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) foie gras.
Périgord caviar, black gold
Yes, you read correctly: Périgord (also) produces caviar. Sturgeons are raised in large fish farms. This black gold, like the truffle, is particularly prized by gourmands for creating specialties of local gastronomy.
Duck confit, a must on a Périgord table
Duck is the real star of the tables of Périgord gourmets. And to consume it all year round, duck confit is the ideal solution. In a jar or can, it enchants winter meals, accompanied by porcini mushrooms cooked in fat, for example.
Happiness is in (quality) duck, at any time of the year! You can buy them directly on the farm, at a producer but also in a specialty store or even at a market! And have you tried the duck rillettes? This is another option for enjoying duck.
Périgord strawberries, eight varieties to discover
Did you know that more than 55 tonnes of strawberries are produced in Dordogne? Its terroirs are particularly conducive to the production of the French's favorite fruit. Thanks to mild temperatures but also light soil and southern exposure: strawberries come in 8 different varieties. From Cléry to Gariguette via Charlotte and Mara des Bois, you are sure to find a strawberry that you like! And you're lucky, you can eat them from April to October!
Walnuts, Périgord nuggets
Residues of noix were found in the habitats of Cro-Magnon man: this shows if the nut is linked to the history of the region! It must be said that walnut particularly appreciates the clay-limestone soils of the Vézère valley in Dordogne. Over the years, this small nut has even participated in the growth of the walnut oil trade and the enrichment of the region. As with strawberries, nuts come in several varieties which are produced in an area bringing together more than 600 municipalities in 4 different departments (Dordogne, Lot, Corrèze and Charente).
And why not put together your own box of local specialties at the price that suits you? Jars of duck confit but also regional wines accompanied by nuts and truffles... You are spoiled for choice when it comes to taking with you a piece of the Périgord Noir gastronomy products!
