Refine Search

“I’m a Truffle Hunter!”

“IT’S a dog’s life!” Mine really was a dog’s life​—chained up all day in the dirtiest corner of the yard. I’d bark at strangers just because it was the accepted thing to do, being a dog. But much as I tried, I didn’t even manage to scare the chickens.

When my master didn’t forget, some food was brought out to me once a day, with one or two meager bones thrown in some days. It would be impossible to imagine more of a dog’s life than mine.

Then came the big change. It was when I discovered that hidden treasure​—truffles!

‘But what are truffles?’ you might ask. ‘And how could they change the life of a dog?’ A truffle is an edible fungus, found under the soil and greatly esteemed in some countries as a delicacy. They can be anywhere from the size of a pea to that of an orange. But the main problem is in finding them​—and that is where I come into the story.

A Trained Truffle Sniffer

Actually, it was my master’s youngest son, Giovanni, who first had the idea of training me to be a truffle dog. Evidently, in the absence of anything better, even a poor watchdog, born and bred in a village of the Langhe here in Italy, would do. Fortunately for me, that part of the Piedmont just happens to be where the best Italian truffle grounds are to be found. And one other point: Humans have a hard time picking out the spots where truffles grow.

At that time I was a seven-month-old puppy, the ideal age for training. So my master began by teaching me to dig up anything hidden below the surface of the ground. I easily unearthed the bones he hid for me. Perhaps my former days of hunger helped there. Then he switched from bones to pieces of Gorgonzola cheese. The pungent odor of the cheese was to prepare me to find the black truffles by smell.

Apparently I did well. Every time I made a find, I got an extra tidbit and a friendly pat. So I threw myself into the job, heart and soul. In the meantime, my status as a dog had undergone a radical improvement. Now I had a kennel of my own in the vegetable garden. I was no longer tied up by the manure heap to be mocked by hens and rabbits.

My Very First Truffle

By autumn I was ready to search for truffles. In fact the best ones are found from October to January. I set off along a pathway with my master hanging on to the leash. We headed for the nearby oak woods on the hillside. As we drew near, I began to notice that unmistakable aroma​—something like garlic and yet pleasantly different. I stopped in my tracks, sniffed the air, and then strained at the leash as the smell got stronger. I was excited, and so was my master​—this was going to be my first genuine truffle discovery! “Find it Flik, come on . . . find it!” urged my master.

I stopped at the foot of a young oak, completely sure of myself. The truffle was there beneath my feet​—it had to be! I began to scratch the ground, but almost immediately my master pulled me off to one side and began to dig with his short-handled spade. He did not want to tire me. I had my eyes glued to that hole as my master dug deeper and deeper. But there was no truffle in sight.

After a while he stood up and looked reprovingly at me, as if to say, “Flik, you’ve been deceiving me!” But I knew that my nose had not deceived me. I dived into the hole and dug down a little farther. A grayish object came to light. After a few blows of the spade, there was my first beautiful truffle! It weighed about a pound (0.5 kg) and was rounded and flat in shape, something like a potato. Although it had been several inches underground, I had managed to sniff it out.

That was the beginning of a brilliant career as a truffle hunter. After four years, I now consider myself an expert on this delicious, potato-shaped fungus. And thanks to that, I am better fed and cared for than ever. Anybody for a dog’s life?

[Box on page 16]

Truffles​—Choose and Serve

TRUFFLES are a type of fungus that grows underground in symbiosis with the roots of certain trees, such as beeches, poplars, willows, oaks, and nut trees. But soil is the determining factor, and that is why truffles are not found everywhere. Their ideal setting is calcareous, or limestone, soil.

The most well-known and highly regarded truffle in Italy is the white, or Alba, truffle (Tuber magnatum). Italians like it because of its pleasing aroma. Another variety, but of inferior quality, is the truffle Tuber Borchii. It is irregular in shape, with a whitish, hairy appearance and not more than two to three inches (5 to 8 cm) in diameter. It is a winter specialty that grows over a wider area of Italy, and even in Sicily.

A third type is the prized black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) or, as the French call it, Truffe du Périgord. Although inferior to the white truffle, it is more suitable for canning and is in high demand.

Even with a good search dog or pig (yes, pigs are good at sniffing out truffles), you will not always find them. You may finish up with a mildly poisonous truffle, sometimes called the pig truffle. It is easily recognized. When mature, it has a smooth, pale-brown surface covered with whitish marks and a rather unpleasant piquant odor that makes it stand out from the edible varieties. Should you happen to eat one by mistake, the consequences are not fatal. You will have an upset stomach or, at most, you will vomit. But far better to keep a keen eye and a keen nose!

An Expensive Delicacy

Although truffles have a very lowly origin, they fetch a high price in the market. But how do you prepare them? They are usually used raw, cut into thin slices, or grated over dishes such as macaroni, risotto, and roast meats.

If you can afford them, they make a welcome addition to various recipes. For example, would you like to try Truffes à la Provençal? Then put a few slices of bacon into a pan together with some white wine and a clove of garlic. Add the sliced truffles and cook it. Then take the pan off the flame and pour a little top-quality olive oil over the truffles. Add a few drops of lemon juice, serve warm, and as we say in Italy . . . buon appetito!

[Picture Credit Lines on page 15]

Agnelli photo, Alba, Italy

Agnelli photo, Alba, Italy