Issue No. 21

Truffle hunting in Dordogne...
Janine Marsh wraps up warm for winter and heads off to the beautiful hills and
dales of Dordogne to hunt for the earth's black diamonds - truffles!
Truffles are one of those foods that
you either love or hate. They’re not a take it
or leave it type of thing – they’re too
pungent for that. In Dordogne, everyone
loves them, they’re one of the region’s
prized treasures...
Truffles are a form of mushroom, an edible
fungus that some people swear makes your
food taste like paradise. Growing at the
base of trees, in damp conditions, they give
off a scent that can be sniffed out by trained
goats, female pigs and these days mostly
by dogs. The pigs have largely been retired
from the job of truffle hunting on account of
the fact that the aroma drives them wild –
and they scoff the prize if they can. The
scent is apparently almost identical to a sex
pheromone found in male pig’s saliva.
They’re supposed to be an aphrodisiac and
in fact in the middle ages, monks were
forbidden from eating truffles in case the
taste led them astray!
France is the largest producer of truffles,
with more than 30 tonnes a year being
sniffed out and in the Dordogne, they’re
revered. Each year a special truffle market
takes place in the uber gorgeous medieval
town of Sarlat and the hunt is on to fill
baskets for keen customers.
“It’s a shame that they have such a
reputation for being expensive because
really they’re not” says Eduard Aynour at La
Tuffière de la Pechalifour, a truffle
plantation deep in the countryside of Saint-
Cyprien near Sarlat. “15 Euros can get you
a decent sized truffle – and there’s a lot you
can do with it” he adds.
On a chilly January morning I follow him
round his sodden truffle farm in the rain
accompanied by Leno, his faithful sheep
dog who is keen as mustard to start looking
for the “black diamonds”. Edouard assures
me we’ll be successful despite the rain.
“Cherche, cherche, cherche” he suddenly
shouts out making me jump, Leno darts into
action, slinking about under the trees,
sniffing at the ground. She stops, sits and
stares at us. Edouard pulls a small pick out
of his pocket and prods gently at the soil
until about a foot down he thrusts his hand
in and “voila!” he says, holding aloft a small
black lump. “Smell it” he urges, handing the
lump to me. There’s a scent of earth, decay,
musky and strong. “It takes five years to
train a dog to be able to do this” he says
proudly as he pats Leno in appreciation for
a job well done.
We head into the little shop on the site and
Eduoard gently brushes the dirt off the
truffle and weighs it and then pops it into a
box to keep in the fridge to ensure it stays
fresh. It’s a fascinating little place and
Edouard is happy to talk truffles til the cows
come home.
“Beware fakes” he urges “there are a lot of
them about. They have no scent, no taste.
When you can buy a real truffle for as little
as 5 Euros here, why would you ever even
think about buying a phony?” he asks.
At the Tuffière de la Pechalifour you can buy
your truffle fresh from the ground, truffle
products and local wines and do a truffle
tour with Leno. It takes around 2 hours in
total and is a fun way to get to know more
about the famous “fairy apple”.