Truffle Hunting in Tuscany, Where the Pigs Have Been Replaced
Observer · · g6170682
Forget what Nicolas Cage taught you in ‘Pig.’ In the oak woods outside San Gimignano, truffles are found by dogs raised on parmesan, and a few hours of foraging can send you home with a surprisingly heavy haul.
I knew two things when I went truffle hunting: that those edible underground fungi are delicious, and that portly pigs snort around in woods to find them. One of those bits of information turned out to be wrong. Yes, you can forage for truffles in the Pacific Northwest and, yes, I had watched the wildly underrated Nicolas Cage movie Pig too many times. But the rarer, more delectable species of truffle grows in Europe.
After a brief walking tour of the Marronaia estate in San Gimignano on a lovely late-summer day, I set off into the oak trees, accompanied by a guide and Lily, a Lagotto Romagnolo. She was exceptionally friendly, which may be a predictable result of having a life in which you dine daily on cheese and truffles. This breed is especially good at hunting truffles, though any breed can be trained from puppyhood. As for why pigs aren’t used—at Marronaia, the guide explains that they simply lost too many truffles to greedy pigs. When dogs smell truffles in the ground and begin digging, they’re much easier to pull away from the treat. (Sorry, Nicolas Cage.)
If you happen to have a willing puppy and the good fortune to live in a truffle-rich area, the training is straightforward. When two months old, the puppies begin to be rewarded with small bits of parmesan combined with truffle slices, and truffle flavor is mixed into their kibble. Once they associate the scent with delicious food, their owners bury truffles in small holes to teach the dogs to dig. Soon after, they begin foraging for the delicacies in the forests.
Once the dog indicates the truffle’s location, you begin to dig. You are going to be vastly inferior to the dog, and there is no shame in that. There are tools to help your weak human hands with the task. The vanghino, a slim spade with a very long handle, can help dig deep into the ground. A truffle hoe, which is shorter and has a sharper point, can help unearth black truffles on rockier ground.
The kind of truffles you’ll be searching for depends largely upon the season . Summer black truffles can be found from June to early September, while winter black truffles are available from September to February. White truffles are a rarer species and are harvested only from September to the last days of December. As both white and winter black truffles are in season, autumn months are ideal for truffle hunting.
Finding black truffles is relatively easy. You can look for them under specific trees, as truffles draw nutrients from the root structure.
White truffles, though, are far rarer and extremely susceptible to bad weather, as Italy has been experiencing in recent years. Climate change is shortening the already short fall season in Tuscany, threatening their survival. White truffles can only grow in the wild, unlike black ones, which can be farmed. And while black truffles can last 10 to 12 days—fortunately enough time to get them on a plane back to America—white truffles deteriorate after only two or three days. The price of white truffles sold to restaurants is consequently much higher, about three times that of black truffles.
One of the surprises of the whole experience may be how many truffles you can find and take home. A few hours of Lily’s and my digging yielded seven black truffles, which is enough to make you feel you could begin a new life as a truffle magnate. Provided, of course, that you could find restaurateurs willing to buy your stash. And had a piece of land on which to continue replenishing your supply. And many, many dogs.
All things considered, it might be better just to visit Italy and use your truffles once you return home. I found that one does not tire of fresh pasta, butter and a shaving of truffles. Confirming that the first fact I knew about truffles was entirely correct.
I was based in Florence, thanks to the hospitality of Teatro Luxury Apartments, part of the Starhotels Collezione hotel chain. The modern, fully furnished apartments allow for short- or long-term stays and offer the amenities of a home—a dishwasher, dining space, in-building laundry—with all the benefits of a hotel, such as turndown service, spa access and a 24-hour concierge that prioritizes arranging “live like a local” experiences, which include learning from Florentine leatherworkers, driving red convertible Ferraris through the Chianti countryside and . . . truffle hunting at the Marronaia estate in San Gimignano.