I have kept fresh cut flowers from the garden on the table during our entire stay. Hydrangea on the coffee table and a rose on the dining table. Today, there were a number of roses that just begged to be included in the champagne glass.
There's an inside "halle" and the big outside parking lot next to the Tourism Office dedicated to the market stalls. It's huge!
Cut flowers and potted plants galore.
Wines. Pâtés.
Goat cheese.
Walnuts. When you say "noix", it is assumed that you are referring to walnuts, not the general name for "nuts".
Bright and colourful vegetables.
I knew that geese went through "gavage" to fatten their livers, which makes "foie gras". I didn't realize, however, that it was done to ducks as well. This is a duck breast stuffed with fatty liver, a real delicacy.
These "magrets", or duck breasts, are huge because of the kind of duck, bred especially for big breasts. "Hooters" of the fowl world.
Various ways of serving "foie gras".
Karl didn`t miss his chance this time. He bought a "sanglier" sausage - wild boar.
I recognized the same gentleman who was selling cheese in Aubazine, so we got to talking. I asked if these huge cheeses were real or just for show. He said they were absolutely real and showed me the tag that each cheese gets to note the date, the producer, and the "appellation", which identifies the quality of the cheese.
Now this is an ideal way to go to market with three children: Mom pedals the bike, the two older girls have little seats, and baby can sleep comfortably in her little bed. The groceries get tucked in between legs and wherever there's an inch of room!
More veggies and a variety of squash. We've had a lot of pumpkin and squash soup lately.
The spices! There is an abundance of spices here, coming from the far corners of the world. Karl and I stood there for a very long time, just taking in the aromas and trying to identify them all. There are so many spices that are unfamiliar to us.
With the dried roses, lemon, mint and a dozen other choices, one could make a perfect pot pourri! Notice how they ask you to refrain from touching so that your skin oils will not contaminate the produce.
This is where you enter into an aroma of another kind. The fish!
Three heads for 2 euros - what a deal! Someone may be having fish soup, or bouillabaisse, tonight...
These snails, or "escargots", are still alive.
Squid and octopus.
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| School's out! |
One of these is about to lose its skin...
Can you tell which?
There is a whole section of birds (mostly canaries) and live animals.
The ducks are sold for reproduction.
Some birds lay eggs for consumption.
Anecdote of the Day: When I saw the chinchilla and the guinea pigs, I was wondering why they were there. Were they to be eaten? After all, they eat horses here and I know that guinea pigs are eaten in Peru, although "caya" are bigger, almost the size of a rabbit.
When I asked the sales lady if the chinchilla and guinea pigs were for consumption, she was "horrified"!
"Mais non, mais non", she said. "The canaries are for pets, and the chinchilla and guinea pigs are simply to entertain the children who come to the market."
Well, that's a relief!
***
There are so many people in Brive on market day, all wanting to have lunch, that it took 2.5 hours for us to have our déjeuner. Karl just couldn't wait any longer and took a slice off his sanglier sausage.
"Looks a little tough, mon amour."
"It's not quite what I expected... I think I like the sausage that Joseph makes a lot better!"
***
We made it to Uzèrche in late afternoon. It is an impressive sight: gray slate roofs, turrets, and bell towers rising from a hill above the Vézère river. This prosperous town never capitulated during the conflicts of the Middle Ages. In 732 it withstood a seven-year siege by Moorish forces. The townspeople sent a feast out to their enemy - in fact, the last of their supplies. The Moors, thinking such lavish offerings meant the city had stores to spare, gave up.
Hey, where have I heard a similar story before? Oh yes, that's how Carcassonne got its name!
See my posting from an earlier trip on that story:
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What a wonderful day. I would love this so much. Margi
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about travelling the way we do is that we're completely flexible. An opportunity to roam around this fantastic market presents itself and we postpone our trip to Uzèrche. Karl and I are spontaneous that way.
Deletelooked like a lot of fun, but Karl did not look impressed with his sausage lol! Hope you ended up with some good fare :)
ReplyDeleteThe facial expression said it all, didn't it! We ended up each having a Croque Monsieur, strawberry pie for me and crème brulée for Karl! No complaints except for the long wait.
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