Périgord

Coordinates: 45°11′N 0°43′E / 45.183°N 0.717°E / 45.183; 0.717
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Périgord
Peiregòrd / Perigòrd (Occitan)
Natural region
Dordogne in Périgord, near Castelnaud-la-Chapelle
Dordogne in Périgord, near Castelnaud-la-Chapelle
The four regions of Périgord
The four regions of Périgord
CountryFrance
Elevation
130 m (430 ft)

Périgord (UK: /ˈpɛrɪɡɔːr/ PERR-ih-gor, US: /ˌpɛrɪˈɡɔːr/ -⁠GOR;[1][2] French: [peʁiɡɔʁ] ; Occitan: Peiregòrd [pejɾeˈɣɔɾ(t)] / Perigòrd [peɾiˈɣɔɾ(t)]) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is divided into four areas called the Périgord Noir (Black), named so for the truffles that can be found there, the Périgord Blanc (White), for chalk cliffs and quarries, the Périgord Vert (Green), for forests and forestry and the Périgord Pourpre (Purple), for wine and viticulture. The geography and natural resources of Périgord make it a region rich in history and wildlife,[3] and the newly created Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin aims to conserve it as such.[4]

Périgord is noted for its cuisine, especially its duck and goose products, such as confit de canard and foie gras.[5] It is known as a centre for truffles in France.[6] Périgourdine wines include Bergerac (red and white) and Monbazillac.

Geography

Château des Milandes in the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, built in 1489.
French Ministry of Culture
.

Périgord surrounds and is named after the

préfecture (capital) of the Dordogne, Périgueux
, and also includes Bergerac in the south and Sarlat in the east.

History and prehistory

There are

prehistoric sites, of which the most famous prehistoric site is the painted cave of Lascaux, whose depictions of aurochs, horses, deer
and other animals (but not of humans) date back some 17,000 years.

The centre of pre-historic studies is the small town of

Palaeolithic
era and 25 decorated caves.

Périgord was one of the main battlegrounds of the

).

In popular culture

A visit to the province inspired the English novelist Julia Stuart to write her novel The Matchmaker of Périgord.[7] Michael Crichton's novel Timeline is partially set in 1357 Périgord.[8] Claude Chabrol filmed his classic thriller Le Boucher here in 1970, with references to Bergerac and the cinema at Sarlat. The Martin Walker crime novels featuring Bruno Courreges, chief of police, are set in the fictional town of St. Denis on the Vézère river.[9] In Christian Vincent's 2012 film Haute Cuisine (French title: Les Saveurs du Palais), the protagonist Hortense Laborie is a chef from Périgord.[10] The 2013 documentary film After Winter, Spring follows the lives of family farmers in Périgord, including their struggles in the face of real estate development, government agriculture policy, and large agribusiness.[11] In the eighth film in the MI7 Film Series, the main story is set in Perigord in a fictional version of the region where it becomes a country. It is run by the far right Nazi sympathiser Leon Napoli in the film.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Périgord". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.[dead link]
  2. ^ "Périgord". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "Dordogne travel guide". The Telegraph. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin". Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Foies gras du Périgord". FoieGras-Perigord. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  6. ^ "All About Truffles: Black Truffles from Perigord, France". MirePoix. 2004–2011. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Author Interview with Julia Stuart". HarperCollins. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  8. ^ "Timeline". Michael Crichton the official site. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  9. ^ Bruno Courrèges, chief of police (fictional)
  10. ^ Ferguson, Liz (March 1, 2013). "Review: Les Saveurs du Palais (Haute Cuisine)". The Gazette. Montreal. The Cine Files (blog). Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  11. ^ After Winter, SpringSeattle International Film Festival Archived 2014-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed May 10, 2014.

External links

45°11′N 0°43′E / 45.183°N 0.717°E / 45.183; 0.717