Top Places to Go Truffle Hunting

Truffles are one of the most expensive foods in the world. Gourmands everywhere clamor for these rare fungi to enhance their dishes and elevate a meal. Their distinct, musky aroma envelopes your senses unlike any other food. Whether enjoying white truffle atop your risotto or black truffle in your omelette, these delicacies have the power to transform your food from a meal to a full sensory experience.

Truffles are actually a species of fungi that grow on the roots of trees. They are quite finicky, requiring the moisture and minerals of the soil to be just right. Farmers use animals to sniff out the powerful aroma underground and locate ripe truffles. Pigs were traditionally used, but now dogs have proven better for foraging as they are easier to train and less likely to eat the prize!

Shaved paper thin, truffles can be added to your dish often as a supplement to your meal. You will also find truffle-enhanced products all over the world, like truffle oil, cheese and butter. There are many species of truffles, but only a few are highly regarded and therefore in the highest demand.

Although many countries harvest truffles, only a few places grow the highest quality truffles worthy of the large price tag. The finest truffles are in season for just a few months a year, increasing the scarcity. Their combination of unique flavor and rarity command astronomical prices, with the highest priced truffle costing over $2,000 per pound!

Given the scarcity and demand for these delicacies, industry competition is fierce.  Climate change has added to this problem, with fewer and fewer truffles harvested every year. The truffles are so valuable that some people go through any means necessary to get their hands on them. This is the dark side to the truffle trade, with criminal trafficking and inferior truffles fraudulently substituted.

Many truffle farms welcome visitors and even offer the chance to escort the dogs on a hunt! Foraging for truffles can be a fascinating experience and particularly fun for dog lovers who get to hang out with the dogs and see them in action. Witness first hand the dogs' incredible sense of smell and ability hone in on fragrant fungi inches beneath the ground. You will enjoy a hike through the beautiful (although sometimes muddy) forest and get a chance to taste the delicacies after the hunt.

Here are some top destinations to experience a truffle hunt:

Italy

Piedmont is the home to most prized truffle in the world: the white Alba truffle. It's intensity of flavor and aroma is unmatched. The white truffle is harvested from fall into winter, which is a particularly fun time to visit. The town of Alba hosts an international truffle fair in October and November, where merchants can purchase their culinary gold and visitors can indulge in truffle heaven. White truffles can also be found in the summer.  Although not as aromatic as the winter truffles, the summer truffles are still a delicious addition to you meal. 

You can also hunt for truffles in other areas of Italy.  Tuscany, Umbria, and Emilia-Romagna all offer the opportunity to experience a hunt in the idyllic countryside. You will also find opportunities to taste truffles all throughout the country. One of the most popular truffle dishes is simply freshly shaved truffle on top of a bowl of pasta.

France

The south of France is home to the world's most famous black truffles, known as Black Diamonds. A black truffle's aroma is more subtle but longer lasting than the white truffle. They are also called Périgord truffles, but only a small percentage actually come from Périgord, located near Bordeaux. Here you can visit the world's only museum dedicated to truffles, Écomusée de la Truffe.

Provence is the heart of French truffle country, where majority of the black truffles are harvested. The Provençal enjoy truffles in their omelettes, deviled eggs and even butter. Nearly every day in season, markets are open to the public where you can buy truffles in bulk right from a farmer's truck. You can also find some black truffle in Toulouse and Burgundy.

Croatia

The majority of Croatian truffles are found in the northern forests of Istria, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The soil in the forests is ideal for truffles, but the Croatians were not terribly fond of them at first. Farmers would actually feed these "stinky potatoes" to their livestock until the Italians got wind of this.  Croatians quickly learned the value of their truffles and began to trade with Italy for Italian food items.

Black truffles are harvested in spring, summer and winter, while the more valuable white truffles are in season in autumn. One of the largest white truffles in the world was discovered in Croatia! Croatians love to eat truffles in an egg frittata, on a sandwich as a spread, or with their Istrian fuži pasta.

Truffles are clearly one of the most exciting foods for epicureans and its easy to see why. Traveling to the source of such highly prized delicacies should be on every food lover's wish list. Take your experience to the next level and truly immerse yourself in local culture by joining a truffle hunt. Walking through the iconic forests with a hunter and his dogs will surely be unforgettable - and delicious!

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