Food
I mentioned that three outstanding features of the Dordogne are beautiful villages, castles and caves. Let me not give short shrift to food!
Across France, there are some commonalities. Everywhere, there is an emphasis on fresh foods: fruits and vegetables that have ripened naturally and are brought to market ripe (tomatoes that really taste like tomatoes)...fish that has been caught recently, free range chickens and hormone-free meats. Good wine and bread are available everywhere. (The bread is to die for!). Even the smallest towns have 2 - 3 bakeries. Yet, each region of France has its specialties. In the Dordogne, anything related to ducks and geese is popular: pâtés, terrains and even slices of the whole liver, which is called foie gras. Walnuts are a local product and are ripe right now and it is the end of the season for local strawberries, which are small and very tasty. There are always local cheeses and wines.
Every where you go, you can find a schedule of "the markets". Suddenly, a street will be transformed into an open air grocery store with all kinds of farm produce, cheeses, sausages, meats, etc. You go with your shopping bag and buy what you need for a couple of days.
Over and over, I have felt like Julia Child in "Julie and Julia" when Julia first tastes fresh fish in France and struggles to tell her husband how good it tastes and he keeps saying, "I know, Julia. I know."
Across France, there are some commonalities. Everywhere, there is an emphasis on fresh foods: fruits and vegetables that have ripened naturally and are brought to market ripe (tomatoes that really taste like tomatoes)...fish that has been caught recently, free range chickens and hormone-free meats. Good wine and bread are available everywhere. (The bread is to die for!). Even the smallest towns have 2 - 3 bakeries. Yet, each region of France has its specialties. In the Dordogne, anything related to ducks and geese is popular: pâtés, terrains and even slices of the whole liver, which is called foie gras. Walnuts are a local product and are ripe right now and it is the end of the season for local strawberries, which are small and very tasty. There are always local cheeses and wines.
Every where you go, you can find a schedule of "the markets". Suddenly, a street will be transformed into an open air grocery store with all kinds of farm produce, cheeses, sausages, meats, etc. You go with your shopping bag and buy what you need for a couple of days.
Over and over, I have felt like Julia Child in "Julie and Julia" when Julia first tastes fresh fish in France and struggles to tell her husband how good it tastes and he keeps saying, "I know, Julia. I know."
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 3:08 PM
2 Comments:
The fresh food markets is why we loved our visit to France.
But it is one of the reasons that we love living in
Wisconsin also. In the growing season we can if we wish go to any nearby community to a fresh food market. Different communities have different days for their markets so you have a great choice Monday through Saturday. The vendors also include Amish and Hmong farmers whose produce always seemed to be cleanly scrubbed. and in Winter Madison has one fresh food market open.
Unfortunately there is not as much emphasis on growing food organically as in France but I would say about 25% of the vendors do. It is a way of getting a great selection of really fresh food from farmers who care for their lands.
Come see for yourself. Let us know when you are coming.
Carl and Peggy Glassford
Yummy, Mel and Janet!
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