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Label Rouge — PGI — Aquitaine
Young farm-reared Périgord lamb, 80 to 180 days old, suckled by its mother on the rocky pastures of the picadies — tender pink meat, delicate flavour, prized at Easter feasts for centuries.
Lamb from Aquitaine, PGI (IGP) since 2010.
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Sheep farming in Périgord is one of the region's oldest agricultural traditions: humans have raised sheep here ever since settling, and bones unearthed at prehistoric sites in the Vézère valley, in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, along with Gallo-Roman remains at the Vésunna site, bear witness to this ancient presence. For centuries, the ewe was primarily a dairy and wool animal — with wool becoming one of the mainstays of the Périgord economy in the Middle Ages, driven by the proliferation of sheep fairs. It was not until around 1870, following the trade agreements of 1860, that sheep farming pivoted towards meat production, adapting to the harsh conditions of a rugged terroir.
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Agneau du Périgord is inseparable from a distinctive type of terrain: the picadies, those strict rangeland areas — slopes, poor soils, parcels too cramped or too rugged for mechanical forage harvesting — that the PGI specifications identify as the prime grazing ground for Périgord sheep farming. Unsuitable for arable crops, they are the realm of purebred hardy or semi-hardy ewes — Lacaune viande, Blanche du Massif Central, Causse du Lot, INRA 401 Romane, or Charmoise — crossed with rams of meat breeds (Berrichon, Charollais, Île-de-France, Rouge de l'Ouest, Suffolk, Texel) to ensure the conformation of the marketed lambs. This choice of hardy breeds allows farmers to manage their flock through natural mating and to make productive use of these low-yield pastures all year round.
As early as 1994, Périgord farmers obtained the Label Rouge for their farm-reared lamb, recognising the superior taste of a product reared according to strict traditional methods. Sixteen years later, in 2010, PGI status consolidated this protection by anchoring production geographically across almost the whole of Dordogne (excluding the cantons of La Force and Sigoulès) and the neighbouring cantons of Corrèze, Lot and Lot-et-Garonne. This dual recognition — Label Rouge and PGI — makes Agneau du Périgord one of the most thoroughly protected sheep products in France.
Appearance
Pale meat, white to light pink, white to very slightly coloured fat, firm in consistency and evenly set; good conformation with well-developed muscle masses over a fine skeleton
Aroma
Balanced aroma, subtle, characteristic of young lamb
Taste
Balanced taste, distinctive lamb flavour imparted by a finishing diet of forage and whole or rolled grains
Texture
Tender meat, firm and non-oily fat
Agneau du Périgord is slaughtered young, between 80 and 180 days old, which sets it apart from milk-fed lamb (very young) and mutton (older). The light carcases (15 to 21 kg, yielding 45 to 50% of live weight) lend themselves to cuts such as leg, chops, shoulder and neck. Part of the production is sold directly at the farm; the lamb remains closely associated with Easter celebrations, whilst now being marketed all year round.
The breeding flock grazes for at least seven months a year on the rocky plots characteristic of the Périgord terroir.
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Agneau du Périgord is traditionally prepared with flageolet beans or prunes, two classic pairings of the Périgord table, and remains a staple of festive meals, especially at Easter — without being confined to it today, as production now spans the whole year across a variety of recipes (shoulder, leg, chops). Red wines from the Bergeracois, with their supple tannins, pair delightfully with this delicately flavoured meat.
Since: 1994
Area covered: Dordogne et cantons limitrophes
Key requirements: Approved hardy breeds; free-range farm rearing
Since: 2010
Area covered: Dordogne (excluding the cantons of La Force and Sigoulès), cantons of Corrèze, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne
Key requirements: Age 80-180 days; carcase weight 15-21 kg; suckling 60 days minimum; cereals from the area; born and reared in the area
Association
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