Archive for April, 2010

A recent article in US popular science publication Scientific American has shed some intriguing light on to the role that the Dordogne’s most famous culinary export plays outside of fine dining.

The Perigord black truffle is so valuable that better specimens can fetch prices of nearly £1,000 a kilogramme. This high price, coupled with its rarity, is the source of its popular name in the region – the “black diamond” of the Dordogne.

The article, available for purchase or subscription view on the Scientific American website featured in the April issue of this year. Among the key concepts explored by writers James M Trappe and Andrew W Claridge was the important role that truffles play in ecosystems. According to SciAm, they play an important role as they provide nutrition for both plants and animals and growing recognition of their significance has led to an increased focus upon conservation efforts. 

Although the Dordogne truffle is just one among many other truffle species that have less appeal as a luxury foodstuff but are ecologically significant, it too has seen annual produce levels plummet in the past few decades. Sustaining its existence is clearly more than a matter of sustaining the local market and the ability to sample fine food on a French holiday.

However, the black Perigord truffle plays a particularly intriguing role in the article among the other types of truffle under discussion. It appears that the animal kingdom loves the fine foodstuff as much as any esteemed gourmet; in a brilliant experiment, Andrew Clardige used the truffle’s prized oil to attract specimens to get a better estimate of endangered species populations in Australia.

Though Australian animals will never have scented the Dordogne Diamond, they came in their droves when Claridge soaked pads with oil from the black Perigord truffle and left them near motion-sensing cameras. Scientific American reports that nearly 50 times as many individuals were counted with this technique than others.

France is the second most popular destination for British tourists, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

Despite a drop in the number of people looking to book a French holiday, the statistics show it is still a very popular area with tourists.

The most loved French destination was Paris, which draws tourists who are attracted by the culture and landmarks of the capital such as the Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysée and Arc de Triomphe.

Dordogne was another of the destinations noted for its popularity. Perhaps it’s the region’s picture-perfect countryside, its culinary heritage (fois gras and the black truffle hail from Dordogne) or the hundreds of castles that attract floods of visitors each year.

Another popular area attracting thousands of tourists is the Cote d’Azur. Known synonymously with the French Riviera, it’s still the playground of the rich and beautiful, bordering with St Tropez, Monte Carlo and Cannes. The lavish lifestyles of the past aristocracy also make the Loire Valley and appealing area for visitors, which has been listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO

ABTA believes people are still enamoured with France because of it’s diversity and good value for money; there are a number of destinations on offer to suit various budgets.

Sean Tipton, ABTA spokesman, said that passengers are likely to head to the south of France because it’s often less expensive to fly here than take a train. He said: “In terms of visitor numbers from the UK it”s only a few years ago that Spain overtook France as the number one most popular foreign holiday destination and it is still number two.”

In 2008, France was the most visited country in the world, with almost 80 million international tourists. Paris was the single most visited city in the world in the same year, with 15.6 million visitors.

The growing popularity of outdoor activities in the Dordogne has been explored by The Guardian’s Joanna Walters in a recent article for the newspapers travel supplement.

Whilst a French holiday in the Dordogne-Perigord region generally brings to mind leisurely afternoons spent by the riverside, trips to the region’s many historic and cultural sites or the taste of the fine regional cuisine on offer, in recent years, the more rugged environs of the upper Dordogne river have attracted a different kind of tourism. Rather than wine or truffle tasting, many people are visiting the Dordogne to take part in activities like rock climbing, hang gliding or kayaking.

In her visit to the region, Walters took part in rock climbing lessons with local outfit Adventures Dordogne Nature in the hilly retreats of the North Dordogne. Although these hills boast some of iconic restored renaissance and medieval chateaus that the region is famous for, Walters writes that her experience was far different from the traditional bucolic retreat.

Progressing from rock climbing to hang gliding, a growing sport in the region, Walter’s article reveals an entirely different side of the Dordogne that will appeal to many people looking for something different from their French holidays. The article combines both these new activities as well as highlighting the traditional attractions of the region – village fêtes, fine dining and historic architecture – and can be found at the Guardian’s website.

The Dordogne‘s most prized contribution to French high cuisine, the black Perigord truffle, has been genetically mapped.

Often called the ‘Black Diamond’, the black Perigord truffle is a local delicacy of the Dordogne region. Many of those who have been on a French holiday to the area in the winter months, during their seasonal growth period, will be familiar with the important role that the black truffle plays in the regional market. The ‘black diamond’ is so-called because some examples can fetch around £1,000 a kilogramme on the seasonal markets.

However, the truffle trade has suffered in recent years. Firstly, truffle production across the Dordogne and Perigord region has suffered dramatically over the past few decades. At the start of the 20th century the annual production was some 800 tons; today it is more like 10-20 tons. The effects of global warming and a loss of the natural habitat is often blamed for this decline. Secondly, some traders have tried to pass off the cheaper Chinese truffle variety – much more common but very similar in appearance – as the true truffles.

The new research on the genetic make up of the black truffle could, in time, provide an answer to both these troubles though.

A team of French and Italian researchers worked for five years to sequence the ”diamonds” DNA. They hope that their gene sequencing could help in several ways. Firstly, it will now be possible to clearly identify fakes from the real thing. Secondly, the insights into their DNA could help boost the truffle production, providing a clearer idea of why injecting spores into oak trees does not always result in growth.

The researchers have already discovered that the truffle’s DNA signature is effected by where it has grown, as well as that its distinctive taste comes from the fungus itself rather than any bacteria contained within. The researchers intend to create a ”truffle data bank” – an archive of specific truffle strains that could be selectively produced according to the subtle taste differences.

The recent eruption of a volcano in Iceland could cause troubles for anyone who planned to fly to a French holiday this weekend.

Volcanic ash driven into the air across Europe has grounded flights across the continent and all flights in UK airspace have been severely effected. Although flights are expected to resume in the next 36 hours, as practically all commercial traffic has been grounded for two consecutive days, airlines are warning that there is a substantial backlog of passengers to clear before normal services can resume this weekend.

The BBC reports that the disruption could resume later in the weekend after an initial gap. It is expected that prevailing winds will drive the bulk of the ash plume across the north of Europe, towards Scandinavia, in the next 24 hours. However, the BBC’s weather forecaster Mark Taylor says that later in the weekend the winds will return to a northwesterly direction and will increase the risk of ash back to the UK airspace.

Flights have been grounded because the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the immense ash cloud are capable of blocking aircraft’s jet engines. Currently a limited number of flights are running from Northern Ireland, the western isles of Scotland and Glasgow and Prestwick airport, though these are strictly limited to North Atlantic flights.

Air travel is the only means of transport that has been effected by the ash cloud – so it is still possible to take the Eurostar, the channel tunnel or make a ferry/hovercraft crossing over the weekend. These services are likely to be busier than normal though.

The area of Dordogne saw an influx of Spanish tourists over the Easter weekend, according to French newspaper Sud Ouest.

It’s thought the Spanish tourists, who braved the sleet of the Easter weekend, were still celebrating Semana Santa that just ended; the Holy Week runs for the last week of lent before the Easter weekend.

Bergerac and Sarlat were also popular destinations for the Spanish tourists: more than 40% of holidaymakers that weekend were Hispanic. Most rushed to the caves and castles of the region, sheltering from the showers.

The Easter weekend was a particularly popular period with tourist thanks to many exciting activities planned. Children were invited in the grounds of the Overhanging Gardens of Marqueyssac new Roque Gageac in the Dordogne Valley to hunt for Easter eggs over the weekend. This was complemented by arts and craft workshops where they could decorate eggs, make hens from egg cartons and craft wooden eggs with a wood turner.

Many British people are attracted to the Dordogne area because of the stunning scenery. Walking holidays are really popular with tourists who are drawn to the walks varying between 6 and 10 miles long. They trek around sits including Rocamadour, Sarlat, Domme and Beynac, and include visits to a selection of vineyards on the Cahors wine trail.

Spring is a popular season with tourists who can enjoy the beautiful region of Dordogne at a reduced price.

Anyone who has gone on a French holiday in the past few years may have noticed a strange phenomenon taking place across the country: the spread of English into the French language.

The spread of contemporary English terminology like “Chat”, “talk,”, “newsletter”, “tuning” (the motoring slang rather than the radio term) and “buzz” (internet craze) among the French youth is causing concern among the conservative French linguistic community. The Independent reports that in response, government agency L’Academie Francais has announced its own, officially approved Francophile terminology.

Believed by many to be an effect of exposure to the world wide web (otherwise known as “La Toile”) and the prevalence of English terms to describe popular phenomena online, La Academia Francais has been concerned for some time over the perceived corruption of their language.

The French are notoriously protectionist of their language; ever since L’Academie Francaise was established in 1635 to act as an official authority on language, the French language has resisted natural development of language in favour of a more official approach.

Understandably, this organisation was troubled the spread of Anglicisms. In response, the government held a competition for students and school children to identify French-sounding terms for these modern terms. The final list will be considered for entry into French dictionaries.

From now on, those on a French holiday can expect to hear trends and popular crazes referred to as “Ramdam” rather than “buzz”; the practise of “tuning” up a car as “bolidage“; online “chat” as “éblabla“; “newsletters” as “infolettre“; and the simple “talk” as “debat”

From now on: the use of “Le Buzz” to describe trending online rumours, topics or crazes; the use of “le tuning” to describe the act of modifying cars; and everyday “talk” will now be referred to as “débat”.

Of course, whether or not these words are accepted from Paris to the Dordogne has yet to be seen. In the past similar initiatives have seen success – replacing “software” with “logiciel” and “walkman” with “baladeur” – whilst others have proven a massive flop, such as the attempt to replace “hacker” with “Fouineur” or “smiley” with “Frimousse”.