Food Lover's Odyssey: Dordogne

November 04, 2010

Market Day in Sarlat - Featuring Food of the Region

Snuggled up against the hillside, Sarlat is a well-preserved medieval village with narrow cobbled streets, courtyards, turreted buildings and ivy covered walls. Sarlat is most busy on Wednesdays and Saturdays, its market days. Place de la Liberte, rue Victor Hugo and rue de la Republique fill with vendors and their colored tents. Nearby villagers and tourists fill the town, scuttling from one vendor to another sampling and buying the local products. Since this is the Dordogne (aka "land of the duck"), you can be sure to find plenty of duck at the butchers and many foie gras vendors. Other local specialties like goose, cheese, walnuts, cherries and truffles (when in season) are also in abundance, along with the normal delicacies you can find at a French outdoor food market.

Hotel de Ville and Place de la Liberte hosts market day

Country Bread Baker at the market

Cheeses from the Auvergne

Cured meats (Saucissons) varieties of duck, walnuts, porcini mushrooms, cheese and wild boar

Also popular in the region are walnuts - They're used to make walnut oil, walnut cakes, and these crunchy walnut meringue cookies

Marinated olives are always a favorite at a French food market

Local Cherries and Artichokes

The Covered Market (former St. Marie Church in the background)

Place aux Oies (Goose Square) was once the location of Sarlat's fowl market - now commemorated by the bronze geese statue

After the morning market, the town of Sarlat is a good place to wander through the many narrow alleys and picturesque buildings, ivy colored walls, and pastel-colored shutters. After your wanderings return to the Place de la Liberte for an apertif and maybe some dinner.

Church Tower of the Cathedral Saint-Sacredos and typical tiled rooftops of Dordogne

Cafe on Place de la Liberte after market hours

An evening stroll through Sarlat is also nice

An aperitif in front of Hotel de Ville at night

Market Days:

Outdoor Market Days: Wednesdays and Saturdays - 8:30am - 1:00pm

Covered Market Days: Daily inside the former Eglise Sainte Marie - 8:30am - 2:00pm

Organic Night Market: Thursday nights 6:00-10:00pm in Place 14 Juillet from June 17 to September 16

Truffle and Foie Gras Market Days: In December, January, February Saturdays from 9:00am - Noon

Festivals:

Truffle Festival: Third weekend in January

Goose Festival (Fest' Oie): Third Sunday in February

Local Produce Celebration (Journees du Terroir): May 13 and 14

Christmas Market: Last three weeks in December

Flaky Apple Tart - Croustade aux Pommes Inspired by Lunch at Pavillon Margaux

Sunday at the Bastille Market in Paris

Cooking Classes for the Culinary Traveler in Paris

A Morning at the Rialto Market in Venice

Campo de' Fiori in Rome

Eggplant Caponata and Sicilian Market Etiquette

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Tags: food of Dordogne, market day in Sarlat, Sarlat France, things to do in Sarlat

October 27, 2010

The Dish from France and the Dordogne - Duck is the Specialty

I recently spent a month in the southwest of France, most of it in the Dordogne. This region, (also called Perigord) surrounding the Dordogne river, is lush with meadows, forests and some vineyards. Included in the landscape are castles on cliffsides, prehistoric painted caves, formal gardens and a countryside dotted with picturesque villages. However, to me, this area will forever be the “land of the duck.” In one month, I'm sure I ate more duck than I’ve eaten in my entire lifetime. I even had it for breakfast! At a morning outdoor market several foie gras vendors invited me to sample their delicacies. What kind of visitor would I be to decline? Foie gras and breakfast had never before entered my mind, but I had to try it. Those little slabs of foie gras on crusty French baguette cubes were one of the best breakfasts ever.

The Village of Saint Genies

Market in Perigueux

France is famous for its duck dishes. You will find Magret de Canard (duck breast) or Cuisse de Canard also known as Confit de Canard (duck leg slow cooked and preserved in duck fat). Tournedos Rossini, the classic French dish of filet mignon topped with a slab of foie gras and served in a Sauce Perigueux (truffle sauce -- yes, Perigord is also famous for its truffles) and topped with shaved black truffles--just in case it wasn't already rich enough. These duck dishes you can find throughout France, but in the Dordogne you find them and so many others. Duck is as common to the Dordogne people as a chicken breast is to a Californian.

In addition to the beef tournedos, just as popular are Tournedos de Magret. Two slices of duck breast strung together to make the round "tournedos" form, then a slice of foie gras is placed in the center. The tournedos are pan fried and served in the same rich truffle sauce. There are Aiguilettes (duck breast tenders), usually cooked to rare and served with a cream sauce. The dish above is a salad of gesiers (duck gizzards). The gizzards are also confit in duck fat. If you’d like more variety of duck in your salad, then try a Salade Perigourdine. It has gesiers, slices of either smoked or dried duck breast and topped with a fat slab of foie gras. Along with the various parts of the duck and cooking preparations, there are the numerous types of foie gras - cuit, mi-cuit, cru, entier, bloc, pate, mousse. Like I said, I was in the land of the duck.

After a month, I had even become somewhat of a duck snob. At a wine festival where they served street fare versions of regional food (yes, foie gras as street food), I was nibbling on an assortment of duck and very disappointed in the quality of the foie gras. It was a bit grainy. A French woman asked me where I purchased the plate. I told her, warning her that the foie gras wasn’t very good. She frowned and explained that it was more likely that I was not in the habit of eating foie gras. I smiled and thought, “Lady, what do you think I’ve been eating for the last month?!” Compared to her life-long consumption of it, she was probably right.

Duck isn't exactly a staple in California. Except for fine dining restaurants and some ethnic markets, it's nearly impossible to find. And, you certainly don't see confit duck gizzards or jars of duck fat in the supermarkets. I'm glad I got to try all of the duck variations during my visit. I would suggest any and all of them for your next visit to Dordogne.

Assiette Perigourdine (Assortment of Duck)

Magret de Canard (Duck Breast)

Aiguillettes (Duck Breast Tenders)

Confit de Canard and Foie Gras at the Market

Common Supermarket Items in Dordogne - Jars of Duck Fat and Gesiers Confit

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While traveling what food/dish did you find that was so common in that country and so rare in yours? Which Dordogne duck dish sounds most appealing to you?

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Village of Saint Genies France