I made a submission to an agency of some of my photographs of truffle hunters in Tuscany yesterday and thought it might be worth sharing them here.
I lived in Tuscany for about 3-4 years and became quite good friends with a number of the hunters in the area who took me out with them one winter on a truffle hunt. I can’t say I’m much of a fan of the taste of truffle, still it was an interesting process to watch the dogs finding them and we did have some success as these photos attest.
I’ve also enclosed some excerpts from an article I had published on truffle hunting. In Italian, truffle is tartufo (singular), tartufi (plural).
Hunting dogs getting ready for action - Leah (left) and Dolly (right)
In ancient times it is believed tartufi appeared where lightning had struck tree roots. In actual fact tartufi grow spontaneously in certain conditions mainly beneath oaks, willows, linden, poplars and cherry trees. They require ideal conditions of acidity and humidity so it’s almost impossible to cultivate them.
It also means it’s hard to find them. This forms part of their mystery and why Tuscan men even into their twilight years still spend their winter mornings in search of an allusive find.
Truffle hunters setting out - Vito (left) and Stefano (right)
Stefano Martini and Vito Bianchino, both 34, are crazy about this unusual fungus, describing their weekends as a “passione” or hobby.
However it’s not really clear if this “passione” is simply a love of being out with nature, if they’re more interested in the exorbitant retail value of tartufi or simply the eating afterwards. Stefano’s waistline certainly tells its own story.
Stefano and Dolly the dog in action
Truffle dog owners must be attentive to both stop the dogs from kicking out and losing the tartufi with the soil in their haste or before they eat it. Expertly trained truffle dogs will find the tartufi for their masters, but most will simply eat them.
Stefano and Vito both trained their dogs personally and still need to intervene. Vito gently coaxes Leah’s jaws open to remove a tartufi. It’s only a few centimetres in diameter but he rewards her with a small treat and places the find in his pocket. They aren’t the most gracious looking things and look like small nuggets.
Success - some of Dolly's finds
There are three kinds of tartufi found in Tuscany – the white (bianco), black (nero) and marzuolo. The white tartufi is the most prized and can sell for Euro 800-3000/kg. These are found mainly in September and October so today we will only find the marzuolo, still reasonably priced at Euro 150-500/kg.
Two truffle hunters and their dogs take a break
Stefano and Vito are competitively friendly and check each others finds but when other “tartufaio” pass by in cars they eye them suspiciously. Tartufi spots are guarded fiercely along with hunting secrets although there are truffle clubs, calendars and events where people meet and swap ideas and stories. But it’s all a very serious business and permits are required to hunt.
Stefano and Dolly found an 85g tartufi several weeks ago that his family ate for dinner. But he won’t give Vito even the slightest hint about where he was that day or even a journalist with no tartufi dog.
The end product - dinner with shaved truffle over pasta
A few days later the families of Stefano and Vito combine to celebrate the fruits of their labour. Stefano brings the wine, his sister cooks, and we eat listening to tales of tartufi hunts.
Plates of steaming pasta are served with grated tartufi which has a pungent earthy aroma that is considered a delicacy. I can’t say I’ll ever become a connoisseur but in Tuscany food and wine are the only fitting way to end any experience – Buon Apetito.
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