Dordogne markets: Gourmets delights

Périgueux market

During the holidays, it is always a pleasure to rediscover the same ritual. Start the day with a coffee/croissant opposite the cathedral Saint-Front before a stroll in the alleys of Périgueux market, not forgetting Rue Limogeanne, most famous for its gourmet shops. Basket in hand, we participate in local life, amongst the local accents, laughter of the tradesmen, and that special perfume of Périgord strawberries, our little Proustian moment, that one buys by punnetfuls to make jam with the children! With the idea of a family picnic in mind, we go off in search of our favourite regional products, and those advised by stallholders on each of our visits: good organic bread with seeds, goose foie gras, some tomatoes for an improvised salad, garlic for health, not to mention summer truffle tapenade, that can be found at Chez Francis "Sixth Sense", Place Saint-Silain, Périgueux.

Bergerac market

At the height of summer, Friday morning - Place Gambetta is shaded at this time of the day! Here too, we find products of craftsmen and nuances of the Dordogne: the black gold of Périgord (the truffle), flamboyant baskets of delicious vegetables, and of course the famous local strawberries offering a festival of aromas and colours.
Every Wednesday and Saturday, Bergerac market also extends around Notre-Dame church and Place Louis de la Bardonnie. We take the opportunity to regularly find books that cannot be found at the bookshop. And to find our favourite butcher, you need to visit the indoor market (open Tuesday to Saturday).

Brantôme market

On Friday, we set off for the Venice of the Dordogne! Small cobbled streets and charming canals, we love Brantôme market. Fellini would have also had a crush on this village with its sweet airs of Dolce Vita ...just before the final frame, we enjoy a small aperitif on a terrace; just enough to gently awaken our appetite!

Bastide markets

There is a tradition that we never deviate from! Bring your camera to capture the beautiful secrets of the Bastide markets in the Périgord: a hidden ogival door, an alley sublimated by the sun's rays, a basket of vegetables with flamboyant colours...

On Thursday, a family trip to the famous Monpazier market. Faces are familiar, almost family. We find Pierre, who beckons us among the visitors: "Come and see some friends, I have found a small goats cheese, you can tell me your news!". We do not have time to taste it before the neighbour adds some home produced prunes! A real family atmosphere typically found at the Périgord markets.

Sunday is punctuated by good meals, much loved home cooking, with recipes passed on to the children so they in their turn can reproduce them. In the medieval city of Issigeac, we arrive early so as to see the best items at the brocante, before consuming our goodies under the chestnut trees. In June, it is even the children who drag us out of bed, eager to find their next holiday reading at the comic fair.

Night atmosphere at Dordogne producers' markets

Gastronomy and greed oblige, browsing the night markets of the Dordogne is not only discovering the know-how of the craftsmen, but also offering a mix of flavours. Our ritual is to go to the night market of Saint-Cyprien or Bugue in the early evening.
At this time of the day, it is certainly the aromas that lead us to the stalls, where we crack for a Périgord salad. We look for a place to sit among the gourmands who have all had the same idea as us, and find ourselves very quickly putting the world to rights while night falls gently in the heat of the summer.

More information about the Dordogne markets: - Bergerac tourist office: https://www.pays-bergerac-tourisme.com/en/ - Périgord-Dronne-Belle tourist office: http://www.perigord-dronne-belle.fr/en/home/ - Périgueux tourist office: https://www.tourisme-perigueux.fr/?lang=en

Find out more about experiences to live in Dordogne-Perigord: download the brochure