Truffle Guide
Truffle Hunting: How Truffles Are Found
Sep
Truffles grow completely hidden underground, usually within a few centimetres to about 30 cm of the surface, among the roots of their host trees. You cannot see them – you have to smell them. That is why truffle hunting depends on a partnership between a skilled hunter and a well-trained animal.
The truffle hunters
In Italy, truffle hunters are called tartufai (in Piedmont, trifolau). Their knowledge – where truffles grow, how to read the woods, how to train a dog – has traditionally been passed down from one generation to the next by watching and doing. In 2021, UNESCO added “Truffle hunting and extraction in Italy, traditional knowledge and practice” to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO highlights how the practice helps keep the ecological balance of woodlands and the biodiversity of their plants.
Why truffle hunters use dogs
A truffle gives off its strongest aroma when it is ripe, and a dog’s nose can find it through the soil. Dogs are trained from a young age using games and rewards, learning to recognise the scent of truffles and to signal where to dig – without eating the prize.
The Lagotto Romagnolo, a curly-coated dog from Romagna in northern Italy, is the breed most closely linked to truffle hunting. Many hunters also work with mixed-breed dogs – what matters is a good nose, patience and a strong bond with the hunter.
What about truffle pigs?
Pigs have a natural instinct for truffles and were traditionally used to find them, especially in France. The problem is that pigs love to eat truffles and dig up large areas of ground. In Italy, truffles today are hunted with dogs, and the regional rules require it. Some French hunters still keep up the tradition of the truffle pig.
Pigs even appear in the story of Tartufi Jimmy, one of the brands we stock: the company from Pietralunga in Umbria is named after Jimmy, the pig the family’s grandfather took truffle hunting.
How a truffle hunt works
- Finding the right place. Hunters look for host trees such as oak, hazel, poplar, willow and lime. Around black truffle trees you can often see a bare, “burnt-looking” circle where little grass grows.
- Following the dog. The dog searches the ground and stops, sniffs and scratches when it smells a ripe truffle.
- Digging carefully. The hunter moves the dog aside and digs by hand with a small spade called a vanghetto, taking care not to damage the roots or the fungus.
- Refilling the hole. The hole is always filled in again, so that the truffle fungus can keep producing in future seasons.
The rules of truffle hunting in Italy
- Hunters need a licence (tesserino), which is issued after passing a regional exam. The minimum age is 14.
- Each species may only be harvested in its own season – see our truffle season calendar.
- The search must be done with a dog, and only with hand tools.
- Hunting at night is not allowed – from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.
- All holes must be refilled before moving on.
Truffle farming
Alongside wild truffles, more and more black truffles now come from truffle orchards, where young oak or hazel trees are inoculated with truffle spores and planted in suitable soil. It can take several years – often up to a decade – before the first truffles appear. Spain’s province of Teruel has become the world’s largest black truffle producer this way. White truffles, however, still cannot be reliably cultivated and are found only in the wild.
From the woods to your plate in Malta
A fresh truffle is at its best in the first days after it is dug up, so speed matters. Truffles & Co imports fresh truffles from Italy, France and Australia and delivers across Malta and Gozo. Discover our fresh truffles, a truffle slicer to shave them, and our guide to the world’s truffle regions.
Frequently asked questions
Can you go truffle hunting as a visitor?
Yes – many truffle hunters in Italy, France, Croatia and Australia offer guided hunts, where you follow a hunter and dog through the woods and often taste truffles afterwards.
Why are truffles so expensive?
They are hard to find, have short seasons, spoil quickly and – in the case of white truffles – cannot be cultivated. Most truffles are still found one at a time by a hunter and a dog.
Buy truffles in Malta. Truffles & Co delivers fresh truffles and truffle products across Malta and Gozo. Chefs, restaurants and hotels can call 00356 99022541 or email info@trufflesandco.com for availability and larger quantities.