The Nontron knife is a traditional wooden-handled knife manufactured in the village of Nontron in the
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...
area of southern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, in a tradition said to date back to the 15th century. The handle is usually of
boxwood
''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood.
The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South ...
. Nontron knives are decorated with
pokerwork designs based on a distinctive logo, and are now highly prized as a style item. The Nontron penknife is similar in appearance to the cheaper and much more widespread
Opinel knife, though the blades and handles are more various in shape. Nontron also manufacture a variety of table cutlery, chefs knives, and carving knives. Many of these use the traditional boxwood handle but others use more modern materials compatible with dishwashers.
External links
{{knives
Pocket knives