Fest' Oie in Sarlat

Sarlat is the Dordogne town close to here that held the Truffle Festival. Today was the first ever Festival of the goose. "Oie" is French for goose, as well as being a French word that is almost impossible for an English speaker to say.

The raising of geese for the production of foie gras (goose or duck liver) is very important in this area. When you drive in the country you pass numerous farms advertising foie gras for sale, in all of the various forms. Almost every town has one or more stores selling products of the region, of which foie gras, duck or goose, is predominant. Other regional products are walnuts, wine, duck meat, truffles, liquors of fruit and nuts. Almost all of the menus of the area feature foie gras.

This festival included demonstrations of dogs herding the geese, displays of geese at various stages of development, vendors of goose products including down, painted pottery, wines and liquors, games and activities for the children and, of course, food. Soup made from goose carcasses was served free of charge as well as samples of Bergerac wine.

The dogs herding the geese were very interesting in that we were surprised at how rough the dogs were with the geese, apparently with the farmer's blessing. Like sheep dogs, these canines spent their time herding and then lying still while the flock moved in the direction through the streets as indicated by the farmer. At one point, one goose became agitated and started being aggressive, rising up and beating his wings. What one goose does is readily done by the rest of the flock. Quickly the dog sprang up, grabbed that goose by the neck and wrestled him to the ground at which time the offending bird became very still (in shock?). The farmer moved in, likewise grabbed the goose by the neck, lifted him up and returned him to the flock. The dog wasn't reprimanded so we believe that the dog did as trained.

The goose producers association (sounds so much better in French, "L'Association des Producteurs d'Oie") sold sample plates of food which became our lunch We shared a €7 cold plate and a €6 hot plate. The cold plate had mi-cuit goose foie gras, smoked goose breast, potted goose meat (pate or terrine), and bread. The hot plate included sauted goose breast, sauted strips of goose meat, sauted goose heart (giblets), and bread. All were delicious.


There was a good sized crowd at the festival and it was a fun event.

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