Goose Festival – Sarlat, France

Sarlat’s fête d’oie is everything goose, from raising the chicks to butchering the fattened goose. Held the third week in February it’s a glimpse of the local culture that accepts foie gras and the forced feeding of geese and ducks as a well-established part of their economy and culture.

An incubator housing darling chicks peeping and fussing about is surrounded by an exhibit explaining with charts and scientific pamphlets the most efficient way to raise and feed the geese.

A range of duck and goose delicacies for sale – breast, confit and paté.

The prize winning foie along with the accompanying carcasses are laid out for examination.

Demonstrations on goose butchering are held in the square with the audio piped throughout the town.

At 11:30AM goose carcass soup is served – a flavorful broth with a medley of vegetables and day old bread.

Games for kids and adults.

Geese proudly displayed throughout the old town.

Goose Lunch

An impressive all you can eat multi-course all goose lunch is served in the large community center. Selling out weeks in advance we did not attend but opted instead for the three course fête d’oie menu offered at le Bistrot.

Lunch started with a marbré of goose – layers of paté and terrine -followed by slices of rare breast served in a mushroom pepper sauce.

For dessert a walnut craquante, caramelized walnuts in whipped cream sandwiched between super sugary and nutty wafers.

The homey restaurant, painted in soft creams with cream and red table cloths, seemed to be a local Sunday lunch destination with the quaint dining room nearly completely booked when we arrived at 12:30PM without reservations.

February 17, 2013

For links to all the posts in this series see the Other Destinations in France page.