The spectacular scenery and golden stone buildings of the Dordogne region hide a wealth of pre-historic cave paintings, such as Lascaux, and troglodyte cave dwellings. To the hot and sunny south, can be found those picturesque fields of lavender, fishing villages, and a Latin influence abounds. It is impossible to overstate the high priority that food, its preparation and its consumption have in France. The whole concept is so important, from buying fresh produce at the wonderful local markets, to that obligatory daily trip to the Boulangerie to buy newly baked baguettes. Lunch and dinner invariably take a few hours and are social events, more often than not including friends, neighbours or family.
Different regions have their specialities, with ingredients being based on local produce.
The south, with its sea, sand and sun has a wealth of produce on offer including herbs, olives, almonds, and of course, fish. The epicentre of gastronomy is said to be the Perigord region, with its rare woodland treasure, the truffle, which grows underground near the roots of oak trees and is located quickly with the help of young sows. If you would like to view a catalogue of our current stock of books about Frace and related subjects, click on the link below. He will be remembered as an athor whose books reached cult status. Our catalogue section is updated every week.