The liquid gold from the Périgord

Oct 18, 2023

Walnuts have a long cultural and gastronomic history in the Périgord (or Dordogne). According to archaeological finds, the Cro-Magnon people ate walnuts as early as 17,000 years ago, and they even served as currency in the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, taxes were paid to the Cistercian monasteries with walnut oil, which was as precious as gold back then.

Walnut oil was used in lamps, in painting, for cooking and to make soap. From the 15th century, the oil provided a major economic impulse, and not much later, it was exported to other parts of Europe such as Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands via Bordeaux.

In the 18th century, walnut oil was indispensable in regional cooking. While butter was preferred in the north of the country and olive oil in Mediterranean areas, three-quarters of the population from the Limousin to the Pyrenees used walnut oil for cooking. Almost every household had a walnut tree and every village had at least one oil mill. Nothing from the walnut tree was wasted: from the leaves they made an aromatic vin de noix; beautiful cabinets, tables and other furniture were made from the wood; and the finely ground shells were sprinkled on the floor of bread ovens to keep the bottom of loaves free from soot.

After Grenoble, Périgord is the second-largest producer of walnuts in France. In 2004, La noix du Périgord received the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (A.O.P.) certification, and in 2021, official recognition was also awarded to the oil. There are four different types of walnuts in the area (the Marbot, Franquette, Corne and Grandjean), but the Franquette accounts for approximately 80% of the production. Oval in shape and with a slightly milder taste than the rest, this walnut can be eaten fresh and is the most suitable for making fragrant oil.

Curious about the production of Périgord’s liquid gold, I visited Le Moulin de la Veyssière, located in Neuvic-sur-L’Isle in the Périgord Blanc. In this lovely watermill dating back to the 16th century, the Elias family makes not only walnut oil, but also beautiful hazelnut and almond oils.

When Jacques Elias bought the mill in 1857, it was one of 31 working mills in the valley of the Vern. It is now the only mill that still produces oil traditionally on a daily basis – and no less than 500 liters per day. This means approximately 40,000 liters of oil annually; 25,000 of which are pressed from walnuts from Sarlat.

On a busy Wednesday afternoon I met Christine (who took over the company from her father Jean-Jacques in 2012) and the mill’s guide, Pauline. Inside, the two huge millstones were spinning at full speed, and the tantalizing aroma of roasted nuts hung heavy in the air.

The scene has remained unchanged for centuries, and I felt thrown back in time. The flint mill spins slowly and transforms the walnuts into a thick, light-brown paste with a grainy texture that reminded me a bit of wet sand after a rain shower. Each time, 40 kilos of walnuts are ground, which are good for 20 liters of oil. The millstone weighs half a ton, and after half an hour of spinning, the paste is ready. This is the first step of the process and, in my opinion, the most impressive, especially since this millstone has faithfully done its job since the 16th century.

“Our production doubled in 2021, so we bought a second millstone in July of 2022,” explained Pauline. “It is made of granite, weighs twice as much and is also twice as efficient. The grinding is done after only 15 to 20 minutes.”

Once the paste is ready, it is heated in a giant cast-iron skillet for about 45 minutes at 90°C. This requires skill and precision – if the paste is heated too briefly, you get a tasteless oil, and if you cook it too long, the oil will become bitter.

During the last step, the oil is pressed. The cooked paste is wrapped in ‘scourtins,’ a canvas cloth that works like a coffee filter. Then the oil is squeezed out under a weight of 40 tons. This takes about ten minutes. The oil then goes directly into a stainless steel vessel, where a sediment is formed after seven days. Two to three weeks later, the oil is filtered and bottled. Each bottle gets a specially made cork as a ‘simple’ cap is out of the question here. “Not only much prettier,” Christine told me, “but also better for the environment.” Waste is kept to a minimum. After pressing the oil, a sort of cake (called ‘tourteau’) remains in the canvas and is processed into gluten-free flour.

We visited the shop where, in addition to oil and flour, you can also buy all kinds of delicacies made from nuts, from wine to eau de vie and from pasta to vinegar. Only the oil and flour are made on site, but everything is of high quality. In June 2021, they added a new product to their range: tomatoes in hazelnut or walnut oil, a collaboration with Marc Perey, the sun-dried tomato king from Bergerac. Also special is the walnut oil scented with the famous black truffles from the Périgord. The taste is so concentrated and aromatic that you only need a few drops to give your pasta dishes or risotto a refined finishing touch.

Pauline is happy to explain how you use the other oils: “The walnut oil is delicious with white beans or winter vegetables. Drizzle the hazelnut oil over pumpkin soup. The almond oil can be used as a vinaigrette with citrus fruits.” My mouth watered as she spoke.

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Le Moulin de la Veyssière has been growing steadily, and currently, 10% of their quality products are exported. In the summer of 2021, they opened a museum and planted an orchard with walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. After a free tour and tasting, visitors can learn more about the history of the mill, the production of nuts and their biodiversity.

The aromatic oils and other fine products of Le Moulin de la Veyssière are for sale through their website, but perhaps a trip to the Périgord – one of France’s most delicious regions – is a better idea.

Read my latest work:

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With the advent of autumn and Halloween right around the corner, I can’t help but think about all of those handsome pumpkins that will mercilessly get discarded after they’ve served as festive jack o’ lanterns by our front door or as part of our indoor decor, adding seasonal colour to a mantlepiece or dining room table.”
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