Just read this wonderful story by Tom Fiorina about how he became a truffle hunter. Hunting truffles not with a pig, not with a dog. But with flies. Truffle flies.
I have participated in a truffle hunt a few times and it’s always been with a dog. That’s what is usually the case these days. But I’ve heard it explained and seen it demonstrated that you can do it by letting the flies guide you. But I hardly thought it was true. But apparently it is.
It’s a wonderful story and you should read all of it (it’s quite long but worth while).
Just to illustrate it a bit, here’s a truffle fly (a real, but dead, one):
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And here are a few illustrations of how you do it:
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(No, that’s not Tom Fiorina on the picture)
Here’s a rather normal size truffle:
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And a really, really big one:
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Here you can see the white pattern inside the truffle:
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But back to hunting them. Digging to find it:
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Here it is. What? You think it’s a stone?
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Well, this may look like one but it tastes quite different from a stone, and costs a bit more:
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If you don’t trust your fly finding capabilities:
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Some truffles canapes perhaps?:
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And if you have too many you can sell them at the market:
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If you want to see more truffles and truffles hunting photos you can look here.
We occasionally organise truffle hunting tours for the enthusiasts. Where you can take part in a real truffle hunt a winter morning (you can only do it from December to February…). And once you’ve spent all morning outside, frozen to the bone (perhaps), we sit down around a lunch table and have a truffle lunch: appetizer with truffles, starter with truffles, main course with truffles, and a bit more truffles, cheese with truffles, dessert with truffles… It’s really a wonderful experience.
If you’re curious you can find out more about our truffles and wine tours here. Sometimes we have a truffles tour on our ‘public’ tour program but we also do them custom made on request.
One Response
Per, thanks for posting these images. That isn't me in the photos, but I wish that it was–I can't think of anything more pleasurable than truffle hunting under a clear, blue sky. Your truffle hunts sound wonderful, and I encourage everyone to consider participating in one at least once.