Truffle hunting in Tuscany
There was a heavy downpour and our guide was ready to give up and postpone our hunt. But we we weren’t. Our party of three was determined to brave the rain and try our luck in searching for that prized fungi. Wearing jackets and boots, we went inside the lush and dark forest with Mattia (Matti) Nesi and his two sniffers, a 1-year-old Springer Spaniel puppy called Lily and a 3-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo named Brisa.
Our 20 something tartufaio was from Oressea, a second-generation family business specializing in hunting and selling truffles. At a young age, Matti had witnessed both the good and bad sides of the trade, from finding a 661-gram white truffle to competitors scattering poisonous sausages in the forest for their dogs to digest and die from. Business is cutthroat. The fewer dogs there are sniffing out mushrooms’ more precious cousin, the more chances they have of finding them and consequently, cashing in.
These canines act as the trade’s most important machinery. Some have pigs as live detectors, but dogs move faster and are just a lot easier to control. Their training starts on Day 1, as soon as they see the light of day, says Matti.
“Once they’re born, they don’t smell the mother. They immediately smell the truffles. They rub the teats of the mother with truffle so when they breastfeed, they taste truffle.”
It’s also important to have them hunting every single day; the young ones are accompanied by the old so the amateurs can learn from the more experienced breed.
It goes the same for the tartufaio. Matti, who began hunting at 5, was often shadowed by his grandfather until he mustered the courage to do it on his own. On that chilly and rainy October day, we became his neophytes.
Demand
Truffles have been enjoyed in dishes for thousands of years, and to date, there still is a demand for their strong earthy aroma and taste. Since they are not organically fit for farming and thrive in forests blessed with particular soil and weather conditions, this fungi commands a high price tag. In 2008, a 2.2-lb white truffle sold for $200,000.
Despite the uncooperative weather, our party, with the help of dripping wet Lily and Briza, was able to scour a handful of smooth black truffles. We weren’t even that deep into the forest at the Como Castello del Nero’s estate in Tavarnelle Val de Pesa in Chianti when the pups started zeroing in on some spots and digging with their paws. Matti immediately drew close to make sure that the hounds didn’t chew and swallow the fungi. They were covered in mud so we let the rain do its job and wash them, dirt dripping through our wrinkled hands.
We headed back to Como’s 12th century castle hotel, straight to their all-day dining restaurant, Pavilion, and handed the truffles to the chef. He was tasked to come up with a four-course lunch, which was ready by the time we finished our quick, hot shower.
He kicked off the meal with a shallow pool of pecorino cheese fondue, accompanied by a breaded and fried sous vide egg, sautéed oyster mushrooms and liberal shavings of black truffle, which, along with its fellow fungi, provided savory earthy notes to the rich dish.
It was succeeded by a primi of fresh taglierini with truffle butter and truffle shavings, with no other flavor to distract from that of the star ingredient. And then, a tender piece of steak, cooked to a perfect medium rare, that rested on a pillowy bead of potato mash, sautéed greens and deep-flavored jus, finished, of course, with more truffles. The meal was capped with a classic tiramisu paired with fresh berries.
What made the great meal even more memorable, apart from indulging in the truffles we had just harvested, were the wine pairings and the stunning view of the olive garden and vineyard. Just perfect.
