PERIGORD

historic and cultural region encompassing the southern French dpartement of Dordogne and part of Lot-et-Garonne and roughly coextensive with the former county of Prigord. The area was originally inhabited by the Gallic tribe of the Petrocorii, or Petragorici, whose capital became Prigueux. The counts of Prigord later played a part in the troubled affairs of Aquitaine, and, beginning in 1259, control of Prigord was disputed by the French and the English. In 1470 the area was transferred to the House of Albret and subsequently was inherited by the crown of Navarre, whereupon Henry IV united it with the French crown (1607). Under the ancien rgime, Prigord was included in the province of Guyenne and the intendance, or gnralit, of Bordeaux. Physiographically Prigord is an upland region on the southwestern flanks of the Massif Central, drained westward by the Lot, Dordogne, and other tributaries of the Garonne. The traditional farmstead has two stories linked by an outdoor stairway; houses are often flanked by towers. Architectural features include balconies on the ground floor, oversize portals, carved lintels, and stone arcades. The rural population has been depleted by emigration. There are numerous immigrants from Alsace and Brittany; repatriates from Algeria settled in Prigord between 1962 and 1964. Roman Catholicism predominates, although there is a sizable Protestant enclave in Bergerac. Three dialects of Occitan are widely spoken in the countryside. Regional cuisine features truffles, which are unearthed among oak trees by trained pigs and dogs between November and March, and fine pts de foie gras. Geese are penned in November and force-fed corn (maize) cooked with fat and salt; geese and ducks are slaughtered by Christmas for foie gras. The wings and thighs are seasoned and canned. Wild boars are occasionally raised for pt. Phylloxera has destroyed most of the region's vines, though Pcharmant, which is produced outside Bergerac, is a notable dark wine with a slightly earthy flavour.