Judith Schrut follows gaggles of geese and the scent of just picked strawberries to Sarlat, gastronomic capital of the Dordogne.
If you’re on a Foodie trip to the Dordogne, or just an ordinary mortal who likes a good lunch, you won’t want to miss market day in Sarlat-la-Canéda. Nicknamed “the Black Pearl of Périgord”, “the Medieval Jewel” and “Sleeping Beauty”, Sarlat is an attractive, historic town in its own right. But above all, Sarlat is Dordogne’s gastronomic capital, renowned for its food.
As well as vibrant Wednesday and Saturday farmers markets, Sarlat has a cornucopia of food events year round. January’s Truffle Festival is packed with tastings, Michelin-starred chefs, truffle hunting demos with trained dogs and a chance to compete in the famed Foie Gras and Truffle Culinary Academy. This is followed in March by the Fest’Oie (Goose Fair), when Sarlat hosts gaggles of geese marching noisily through town and gastronomic goose meals where you may sample their less fortunate relatives. There are also weekly organic night markets, Gourmet Celebration Days in September and Christmas markets in December.
We hit town the weekend of les Journées du Terroir, a spectacular early summer showcase of local game and produce. Sarlat’s medieval centre is packed with stalls, tents and tables full of plump strawberries, white and green asparagus the size of baseball bats, tender Quercy lamb, soft and creamy Rocamadour goat’s cheese, sweet and fruity Vin Paillé (straw wine) and ubiquitous foie gras.
The region’s walnuts are so superb they have their own appellation: AOC Noix du Périgord. Accordingly, Sarlat’s market boasts walnut galore: in cakes, tartes and crumbly biscuits; caramelized, creamed, chocolate-covered or whipped into cheese ‘sucettes’. There are endless varieties of walnut oil, walnut wine, fat cracked-open nuts offered up for tasting and bulging sacks of crushed shells, ready for use as cat litter.
Of course, stopping for lunch is a must. We wolf down an astonishing value, three-course 18 € menu at Le Bistrot, a typical tiny mid-market café serving up the best of today’s fresh goodies. Particularly memorable is my steaming plate of naughtily nice Confit de Canard et Pommes Sarladaises (that’s roast duck with potatoes seared in generous amounts of duck fat, garlic and parsley to you and me).
And when the market quietens down late afternoon, there’s plenty more to explore in Sarlat’s maze of medieval streets, courtyards and alleyways. The town is reputed to have the highest density of historic buildings in Europe, many now converted into one-room art galleries, antique shops and charming boutiques. I snap up a handbag bargain at L’instant de Cuir, a leather goods store the size of a walk-in cupboard. And a final must do for any visitor to Sarlat: we ride on the curious glass elevator in the former church of Sainte Marie. It rises up through the centre of the church’s bell tower to give breathtaking 360 degree views of the ancient town below.
Judith travelled to Dordogne as a guest of Dordogne Valley Travel and Brive Dordogne Valley Airport. Stay tuned for the next post in Judith’s Delights of the Dordogne miniseries.
