Truffle hunting snares heady tastes and aromas

It’s a small, knobby, dark brown lump covered in dirt – but oh, what a magical aroma and taste from this subterranean fungus! Truffle hunting in Croatia with dogs captured adventure and heady sensations.

Truffles are not terribly beautiful and they make no sounds, but they delight the remaining three senses. They smell and taste divine and their rough texture is interesting for the fingertips.

I know exactly when I first fell in love with truffles: in Italy in 2016 in the southern city of Matera, eating a risotto with shaved truffles and truffle oil. I practically moaned aloud with each earthy bite. Since then, I’ve enjoyed dishes with truffle oil or truffle salt or truffle spreads, but have never had fresh truffles.

When I learned that truffles grow in Croatia, and that we’d be there for the white truffle harvest, I planned our trip around truffle hunting, adjusting dates to ensure we were on the Istrian peninsula in early October.

I researched truffles

My hunt began with investigating companies that offer truffle hunting in the Istrian Peninsula (in the far northwest of Croatia, near Slovenia and Italy). I soon learned that black truffle hunting costs about 80 euros per person, while hunting down the more expensive white truffles costs double – 160 euros. Was white truffle hunting worth the extra cost?

I narrowed my search to two companies and asked both: what’s the difference between hunting for white truffles (which are in season in late fall) and black truffles (available year-round) besides the cost? Are the dogs trained differently?

“Truffle hunting for white and black truffles is completely different,” replied one company, assuring me that “only the best trained dogs learn how to find white truffles.” Also, dogs find black truffles faster; white truffle hunting is more exciting because the truffles grow deeper in the ground so it’s “more fun to watch the dogs do the digging. White truffles are also world’s most expensive food so it feels like treasure hunting.”

Hmmmm. I wasn’t convinced.

The other company said there’s no difference at all.

“The hunting in the woods is always the same, and dogs are all trained to find both black and white truffles,” replied Višnja Prodan Jekić, of Prodan Tartufi. The difference is in the food you sample afterwards. With the white truffle hunt, you sample more white truffles. With the black truffle hunt, you sample mostly black truffles, but also some spreads and olive oils that contain white truffles, so you get both.

Done. I registered with Prodan for black truffle hunting.

We expanded our truffle knowledge

While we waited for the truffle hunt to begin, we examined the truffle hunting spade, sniffed a tray of black truffles, and enjoyed magnificent views to nearby hill towns.

Prodan Tartufi is gorgeously situated atop a hill with a view across the valley toward the hill town of Buzet. Visnja greeted us and directed us through blooming gardens towards an arbour hung with grape vines, where we waited for other group members to arrive.

We examined a truffle spade and a tray of black truffles on the counter: black, bumpy – looking almost like giant blackberries. Not particularly attractive, but then it’s not the look that counts. I bent down to sniff them. Oh, yes. That’s what I was there for.

When all were assembled, we began with shots of brandy – two types made by Visnja’s father – “to warm up before the walk,” she said. “Nazdravlje! [Cheers!].”

Truffles are subterranean fungi that grow on the roots of certain kinds of trees, usually oak, beech and hazelnut, in a microclimate with humidity but no snow. Animals such as wild boar, squirrels, and mice eat truffles and spread the spores through their feces. You never know which specific trees they’re growing under.

Black truffles grow in many spots around the world – including an indigenous variety recently discovered in eastern Canada. However, the more elusive and expensive white truffles grow only in the wild in Italy and Croatia. White truffles are a lighter tan colour, looking like a misshapen potato. Inside, they’re creamy white with tan veins. Their aroma is more intense than black truffles.

Four types of truffle (one white and three black) grow in Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula, mostly in the Motovun Forest in the Mirna River valley, which flowed just below us.

Visnja is a third-generation truffle hunter.

“It’s a big passion and a way of life,” she said. “I hope you’ll feel a part of that today.”

Her grandparents were among the first to find truffles in the area, in the 1960s. Before that the fungi were considered smelly potatoes and fed to pigs. Then people realized money could be made. In 1999, a local man, Giancarlo Zigante, found an enormous white truffle, weighing 1.31 kilos, and set a Guinness World Record. (The current Guinness World Record is 1.786 kilos, set in 2014.)

“He didn’t sell it, but got publicity for it,” she said. “It put Croatia on the truffle map.”

Ripe truffles emit a scent that humans can’t smell, but dogs can. Hence the dog training.

“You hunt them – it’s a mystery what you’ll find. Maybe white, maybe black. It’s the season for both.”

Then I knew I was glad we hadn’t paid for white truffle hunting.

We met the dogs

The Prodans have five dogs – all males of mixed breeds. No particular breed is better than another. Female dogs can hunt too but it’s best to have a team of all the same gender, she said. Dogs are better than pigs because dogs are easier to train and take for hikes into the woods.

We walked over to the kennels to meet our truffle-hunting canines: Mel (age 6.5 years), Pico (nearly 8), Stiv (5.5), Brum (5.5), and bouncy Capo (just 10 months old, still in training). They all seemed excited to get out for the hunt. Stiv and Brum were the lucky two that day. Visnja let them out and they immediately began racing around.

Visnja and her brother train the dogs from the time they’re three to four months old. They feed the puppies truffles so they know the taste. Then they bury a bit of truffle in the ground so the dogs have to dig for it. Each day, the hole gets deeper. Then they take the dogs into the wild woods to hunt. 

“Some days they just want to catch butterflies and birds,” she said. “They are the leaders of the whole game.”

When the dog finds a truffle, he doesn’t bark – he digs because he wants it for himself. So Visnja carries dog biscuits to exchange for the truffles found. “Otherwise we’d get no truffles – it’ll be gone in a second.”

We hunted for truffles

Well, the dogs hunted. We followed along. Visnja grabbed her truffle spade – about 18 inches long with a curved handle and a flat metal end – and off we went. Down the hill through a meadow towards the forest. Stiv and Brum (roughly pronounced Steve and Broom) romped ahead, always off leash, following their noses, stopping only to lift their legs to mark their territory.

“There’s a lot of wild boar and deer here at night, so the dogs mark everything in the morning.”

We walked a worn path downhill to a small orchard-like area planted with young oak trees. Black truffles can be cultivated; these oaks had been injected with truffle spores.

“In eight-and-a-half to 10 years, we can find truffles,” she said. “It’s a long process.”

We carried on into the forest, stepping over branches on the narrow path and ducking under others. We were on Prodan’s private land, but people can also hunt truffles on public land with a licence.

We paused by an old oak tree. Visnja gave the dogs motivational biscuits, then commanded “Traži! Hajde, traži!” [Search! Come on, search!]. Off they went, and we followed.

As we hiked through the peaceful woods, we asked questions and Visnja shared her knowledge.

• Big truffles grow very quickly in one season – it’s not that they were left unfound for a year or two.
• The kind of tree a truffle grows under doesn’t affect the taste.
• White truffles can be up to half-a-metre deep.
• White truffles peak from the end of October through to December, when it’s below 10ᵒC. That day in early October, it was too hot for them to ripen and release their scent.
• Truffle prices vary a lot by season, supply and demand, and type of truffle.

Brum found a truffle!

After Brum found a small black truffle, he kept a close watch while Visnja dug it out, then passed it around for us to take turns examining the treasure.

Suddenly Brum began digging near a root in a small grove of mixed trees. He found one! We all gathered excitedly as Visnja gave him a thank-you biscuit and nudged him away. But he still laid claim to the truffle beneath and kept a paw nearby.

She crouched and, using her spade, carefully scraped about an inch of soil away from what looked like another clump of dirt next to the tree root. It was like an archeological dig as she methodically excavated the lumpy treasure. Any damage to the truffle will cut its worth in half.

I realized then why truffles are so expensive: it’s a lot of work to find just one!

Visnja held up the black truffle – about 10 grams, so worth about 7 euros – and then we passed it around to sniff and admire the thrilling result of this hunt.

We resumed the hunt

Brum found one black truffle and had two other false alarms. Stiv had a bad day.

We resumed the search. “Traži! Hajde, traži!”

Visnja kept a close eye on the dogs to spot when they started digging.

“You have to let them explore and find new places.” Sometimes truffles are found in the same spots, but animals always spread the spores to new locales as well.

Brum began a half-hearted digging. Visnja dug around a bit to check, then concluded it was a false alarm.

“If the dog doesn’t come back to guard it, it’s a sign it may be a false alarm or it’s so small it’s hard to find but the dog can smell it.”

Every dog goes out hunting every day for two to three hours, even when there are no tours. Visnja takes two dogs, her brother takes two and her husband takes the fifth. They’ll usually find 10 to 15 truffles.

“It’s best after rain because they smell stronger,” she said, adding that it had been two weeks without rain, so they were harder to find.

Brum indicated a third spot, and she dug again. (Stiv was not having any luck that day.)

“Another false alarm, huh Brum?” She turned to us. “You need a lot of patience.”

We sampled truffles 

Back under the arbour, we sat at the wooden tables while Visnja and other Prodan servers began the delicious portion of our truffle hunt: the sampling. We sipped on refreshing homemade elderflower juice as they brought each of us a tray containing truffle salami, two truffle cheeses, three truffle spreads, extra virgin olive oil with white truffles, and jam with truffles. The Malvasia white wine I chose (red was also an option) was light and fresh and paired well with this starter course. Mmmm. It was all delicious.

How do I describe the taste and aroma? Truffles are earthy, a bit nutty, musky, with a strong and distinct flavour that people either love or hate – like garlic or cilantro or parmesan cheese. They’re said to be in the “umami” category of tastes, although I admit I’m still learning about that. Bill and I and our brother-in-law Jim loved our truffle treats, while my sister Cynthia did not. We quickly divvied up her share, not wasting time trying to convince her to try again.

Next came the scrambled eggs. Visnja set out a portable burner with a huge frying pan and we gathered around to watch.

To the cracked eggs, she added salt and a bit of water (no milk or cream). She melted butter in the pan with some water so the butter didn’t go brown. Then she added a lot of grated fresh truffle. Once they were lightly cooked, she poured in the eggs and scrambled them until they were creamy.

Not to spoil anyone’s appetite, but sliced truffles look somewhat like cross-sections of brain matter.

As Visnja cooked, she shared more truffle knowledge:

• You clean truffles with a brush under running water until no more dirt comes off. There’s no need to peel them – just slice or grate.
• Truffles are best eaten with mild foods that don’t overpower their flavour, such as eggs, pasta, risotto or seafood.
• Every September, Buzet (the hill town we could see across the valley) has a festival and the highlight is scrambled eggs made in a five-metre pan. This year, the town donated the 2,023 eggs used, while truffle families donated the truffles.

After placing the scrambled eggs on a platter, Visnja sliced generous amounts of black truffle on top and then served them.

We ate the scrambled eggs along with a green salad, also with shaved truffles atop. For dessert we had vanilla ice cream drizzled with white truffle honey.

I ate slowly, savouring every bite. I was abundantly replete.

“Does anyone in your family dislike truffles?” I asked.

Nope. Her family eats truffles two or three times a week and even her three-year-old loves them.

We bought truffle products… and got recipes!

Fresh white truffles last only 6 to 12 days; black 10 to 12. Prodan ships fresh truffles on ice all over the world: within 24 hours to European countries and within 48 to 72 hours elsewhere. For those who can’t find or afford fresh truffles, Prodan offers myriad jarred products.

I bought two tiny jars (suitable for carry-on luggage) of truffle jam and black chopped truffles; they came with recipes from Mama Vanda Prodan. She began hunting truffles with her dogs at an early age and then created new truffle meals for her family and friends. Find more recipes on the Prodan website.

If you can get your hands on some fresh truffles or truffle products (try Nicastro’s in Ottawa), give these a try (my conversions in brackets):

We thoroughly enjoyed our hunt for subterranean fungi and the ensuing tastes and aromas. Try them! Your senses will thank you.

We went truffle hunting in Croatia in October 2023. Find out where we are right now by visiting our ‘Where’s Kathryn?’ page.