December 7th, 2009 | 
Author: This Sunday the town of Bergerac is to offer a treat for truffle lovers.
On December the 13th the town will be transformed for Bergerac Day, a celebration of the local delicacy which has won Dordogne and the rest of the Perigord area international renown.
Organisers throughout the Couze Valley are to gather in the town’s medieval marketplace, which is already a popular site for holidaygoers and gourmet tourists. There visitors will not only be able to purchase substantial and sublime examples of the Black Perigord truffle, but they will also be able to take part in tasting sessions, cooking lessons and even an organised dinner and drinks session.
Truffles are a rare form of mushroom that is held in high regard in European cuisine, particularly by the French. Some of the most valuable examples can cost 600 euros a kilogram, though cheaper examples can be found throughout the local markets of the Dordorgne.
The Perigord region is seen by many as the home of the famous ‘black truffle’ (the tuber melanosporum species of mushroom. France is the largest producer of the delicacy, and 80% of this comes from the Perigord during the ‘season’ of late autumn and winter. It has been known for wealthy gourmets to choose the Perigord for their french holidays simply because of the delicacy.
The market itself is set to open shop at 9:30am, but many interesting events will take place throughout the day.
Chief among these is the dinner in the town hall. The organisers will offer visitors a session of aperitifs at 1pm, before inviting people who’ve booked a seat into the town hall for a dinner based on truffles – toasted, scrambled, roasted or fried depending on your choice.
But perhaps the most intriguing event will be demonstration held early in the day, at 11:30am – a display of the famous truffle-hunting dogs, used by locals to locate the rare mushrooms of the Perigord region. These highly trained hounds have replaced the ‘truffle hogs’ once used to seek out truffles in the open ground. Although they require much more training than the pig’s innate appetite for the delicacy, they are much less likely to eat the truffles when they find them.
According to local news website Sudouest.com, visitors can reserve dinner seats by ringing ‘Ms Bezange‘ on 05 53 22 33 36. Adult tickets will cost 20 euros per person, whilst children under 10 are given a discount of 10 euros a place.
Related posts: