Marché de Les Eyzies (Saturday Morning Market)
Every Saturday morning the small square in Les Eyzies fills with producers from across the Périgord Noir selling the region's most celebrated ingredients — fat walnuts, duck confit in terracotta jars, raw-milk cheeses and, in winter, fresh black truffles that perfume the entire square. It is the most honest introduction to Périgord food culture you will find.
What to Buy
Look for walnut oil pressed at local mills — the best is cold-pressed and a deep amber colour; a 25 cl bottle costs around €5 and transforms any salad. Walnut-based products range from aperitif wine (vin de noix) to walnut cake (gâteau aux noix) baked that morning.
From October to March, truffle vendors appear with small baskets of Tuber melanosporum — the prized Périgord black truffle. Prices are fixed by the regional market rate (often €800–1,200/kg) but you can buy a single truffle for a special dinner at home.
Foie gras producers sell both mi-cuit (semi-cooked, refrigerated) and fully preserved versions in glass jars; buying direct from the farmer is significantly cheaper than buying in Sarlat or Périgueux.
The Atmosphere
The market is small — perhaps 20 stalls — which means it retains a genuinely local feel; you will hear as much Occitan-inflected French as tourist conversation, and producers are happy to let you taste before you buy.
A mobile crêpe stand and a coffee van park on the edge of the square: grab a buckwheat crêpe with duck rillettes and eat it standing up while watching the village wake up — this is Périgord at its most unaffected.
The market winds down by noon; combine it with a morning cave visit at Font-de-Gaume (book tickets the day before) for a perfect Saturday.
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