The Lands of Quercy
Quercy is the land of contrasts, on one side rocky, wild and wooded, with stone houses, barns and cabins that seem to grow out of the land. In between chestnut forests abound. On the other side, we find a land of vineyards where the famous dark wines of Cahors are produced. Just as wine flows in plenty in the many caves of the town, so the river Lot flows through the capital, passing beneath many a medieval bridge on its way.
Quercy is associated above all with the annual truffle markets, which run from November to December in villages and towns such as Lalbenque, Limogne, Cahors, Caussade, Martel, Gramat and last but not least Sorges, which has an ecomuseum dedicated to the highly prized and highly priced truffle (tuber melanosporum). These markets are quite unique of their kind, and bring together all the characters of the neighbourhood, each with their special knowledge of where to discover their harvest hidden in the wilds. This is the time to taste the truffle at its most fresh, in an omelette served in one of the many auberges which surround the marketplaces.
In this area, you too can accompany the local truffle hunter in his task, learn to appreciate the differences between the real truffle and its lesser substitutes, and finally learn how to cook this most treasured of delicacies with a local chef.
In this area, you too can accompany the local truffle hunter in his task, learn to appreciate the differences between the real truffle and its lesser substitutes, and finally learn how to cook this most treasured of delicacies with a local chef.
Quercy offers itself, too, to the open-air enthusiast, with canoeing and bathing in the river Dordogne, trekking and biking along the many trails. Along the way, you will suddenly come across ancient Rocamadour, clinging to its cliffside in among the rocks, where the sword of Roland, Charlemagne’s hero, is still kept.
In Souillac, after visiting the beautiful abbey of Sainte Marie with its exquisite statuary, you can sit on a terrace discussing the finer points of local cuisine, sausages, pâtés and farcis made in the land of foie gras and black truffle.
And a stone’s throw from Quercy lies the Dordogne district, with its numerous famed grottos and cave-paintings, above all those at Lascaux, which have earned it the title, ‘the Sistine Chapel of prehistory.
In Souillac, after visiting the beautiful abbey of Sainte Marie with its exquisite statuary, you can sit on a terrace discussing the finer points of local cuisine, sausages, pâtés and farcis made in the land of foie gras and black truffle.
And a stone’s throw from Quercy lies the Dordogne district, with its numerous famed grottos and cave-paintings, above all those at Lascaux, which have earned it the title, ‘the Sistine Chapel of prehistory.
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