From the fattoria we walked into the dark, green and inviting forest with the trifolau, the truffle hunter and his alert, Lagotto Romagnolo, which is trained to look for truffles. As a very unusual species, this breed has a natural flair for searching for truffles being a Romagna water dog or Truffle dog. With a keen sense of smell, the lagotto is a friendly dog, having been trained only to search for truffles that help it to focus only on this objective and not be distracted by the smell of game and other animals of the woods. Its body hair is thick and woolly which is not only water proof but so thick that the thorns of the undergrowth in the forest cannot deter this rare dog into diving in to dense shrubbery to find the treasure of truffles. In order to prevent it from eating the truffle, the lagotto is invariably rewarded with his favorite tidbit which he is quite content with!

Well, you must be familiar with truffles, but let me tell you about them anyway. The damp months of October, November and December are ideal for the growth of truffles. There are white, black, brown and red truffles amongst which the white are the tastiest. They range from the size of a walnut to that of an apple and are potato-like, round and irregular with a rough or smooth skin. They are mostly found in France, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. But you can also find them in the United States in Washington and Oregon. These truffles sprout mysteriously under the dank undergrowth of the roots under especially the oak, the elm tree, chestnut, pine tree and willow tree. You will wonder why the truffles are found only under these types of trees. Let me explain what makes the truffle so important. There is a fungus called the ectomycorrhizal fungus which forms a symbiotic relationship that grows as a sheath around the root tip of the plant. The fungus grows into a Hartig Net which is a fungal cell growth that gets into the root of the plant or tree. The fungus gets the necessary carbon and organic substances from the tree and in turn the tree or plant acquires water, mineral salts and metabolites from this fungal growth. It also prevents parasites and other pathogens from invading the plant structure. This is very important in forest management and the maintenance of the flora and fauna. Another interesting fact is that if you do find a truffle under or near a tree, you can be sure to find more in the same area! Usually truffles are found in a warm and moist soil. They are invariably searched for after about of 2 weeks of heavy rain. Another clue is to search and find umbrella shaped mushrooms which come up after the continuous rain. When these mushrooms start wilting, then this is the time to look for truffles.

Coming back to our treasure hunt, the truffle hunter started calling orders to his truffle dog and as it went sniffing around, we hung around in anticipation in the dark green atmosphere of the forest. Sure enough after about 30 minutes, the dog started digging furiously. The truffle hunter rushed to that spot and pushed it away and started digging with the help of a short spade while clearing the area with his free hand in order not to break the structure of the truffle. He held the truffle aloft in triumph and the air around was filled with the pungent odor. The taste of the truffle is often compared to that of garlic infused with an earthy mushroom-like flavor. But no-one divulges the secret hide-outs of the truffles, as it is supreme in taste but ranks as the most sought-after ingredient. In olden days, truffle hunters used pigs to nose out the truffles but could not control them, so they trained the Lagotto Romagnolo breed as an ideal substitute.

Truffles are found in March and are termed as ‘Marzolini’ and also during the summer months. But the elusive truffle makes its appearance from June to April. The summer truffles come on in early June, while the white diamond of Italy, the white truffle, sprouts from September to December. During the late spring season, the bianchetti truffle, a milder version of the white one is found throughout the Tuscany region. The story of the truffle is sprinkled with myths and legends that are as interesting and zesty as the truffle itself. The truffle hunters do not boast about their find, but pretend to come back empty handed! Another story goes that they follow the path of the moon and swear that the waxing moon period is the best for bringing out the scent of the truffle. The truffle hunters venture out even during stormy days when the lightning streaks across, which they say is the best time for the spores to grow. They have photographic memories which help them to retain the exact location of the truffle beds. They are very close with their dogs which they take with them on their forages, which is almost every day.

As we walked on into the depths of the forest and in a picturesque setting with a little stream meandering close by, we found our first big treasure truffle. We were spurred on to search for more and we found three smaller truffles! We were so happy and thrilled with our rewarding treasure hunt as we weighed our find at our cooking class and found to our delight that we had close to 100 grams of Italy’s white diamonds! We could not wait to sample our most expensive delicacy. Did you know that truffles can be served cooked or uncooked and just shaved onto pasta, omelets and mixed or used as toppings on salads? They can also be served with light sauces, fondue or on pizzas. Some even swear by truffle ice cream! But whichever way the truffle is served, it is one of the most rare and expensive commodity ranging from 1500 euro and higher per kilogram making our truffle worth about 75 euro. Winter black truffles sell for $300-$500 U.S. dollars per pound or .45 kg. But the most important fact is that a lot of mushrooms look just like a truffle but are very poisonous. It is imperative that you should not go on a truffle hunt with amateurs, but seek the guidance of a skilled truffle hunter or food expert.

There is a lot of information on truffles that come in really useful. It is important for you to know that there are laws that concern truffles as a commercial product. All truffle collectors are tested and licensed by the Italian government. There are co-operatives among land owners which control truffle hunting. Unless you belong to this co-operative you can be arrested for trespassing or collecting truffles from their natural habitat. You will be surprised to know that truffle spores are dispersed by small animals. Squirrels, rodents and chipmunks constantly dig around and come across these truffles and naturally disperse their spores to other places. When you go hunting for truffles, make sure you look only for fresh pits which are not filled with dead leaves and debris. Carry a rake with a shorter handle to remove dead leaves as sometimes you have to dig into the soil to a depth of three to four inches. Remember to bring a paper bag to carry home the spoils of victory and make notes about the kind of environment that you can normally find truffles in. This will help when jot down points that can come in useful the next time you go on a white diamond hunt. Also remember not to store truffles in plastic bags as it gets slimy and not ideal to consume.

Now come with us to our Good Tastes of Tuscany Cooking Class and enjoy the most delicious recipe specially prepared by our expert chefs. You will have a hands-on experience that takes the taste buds on a culinary journey and you can taste our exotic Risotto al Tartufo with the most expensive ingredient unearthed by our truffle hunting expedition.