Truffles

This is a big weekend in Uzes because it is le ‘Week-end de la Truffe’.  Although the harvesting of truffles happens from mid-november till mid- march, this particular weekend is packed with tastings and tours, cooking competitions and demonstrations.  Every restaurant in town has special menus with truffle added to it.  Shamus and I had our first real taste yesterday when we ordered a coffee with a piece of Quiche Lorraine a la truffe.

The kids passed on the truffles and ordered some brioche instead. 

A truffle is a rare edible mushroom that grows underground. It is considered a delicacy because of it’s unique aroma and distinct flavour. There are many types of truffle but the type that grows in this area is the black truffle, also known as the Black Diamond of the culinary world. It can only grow in certain areas with specific conditions. They are very difficult to find and are usually harvested by trained hogs and dogs.  Apparently pigs are natural truffle finders and dogs require more training.  Shamus read that some farmers prefer dogs over hogs because the pigs tend to immediately eat their discovery (they are pigs after all). That is not good for business since these truffles are pretty pricey.

Of course since we are in the capital of black truffles and amidst the prime harvesting season, we had to buy our own fresh truffles to try. Shamus and I went out last week while the kids were in school to check out the truffle store. I was surprised at the appearance and texture of the truffle. It is hard and rough, and it honestly looks like a bunch of turds in a fancy basket. The cost is approximately 1 euro per gram and it is recommended that you serve 10 grams per person. For instance, if you made a particular dish that would feed 10 people you would need to splurge about 100 euros for that meal. People around here mostly recommend grating fresh truffle on scrambled eggs or pasta. Here are a few photos of our truffle research expedition.

In the photo below, I’ve got about 300 Euros worth of truffles in my hands…

Today in town at the main square, there was a demonstration of a truffle hunt with a real pig. We headed down there this morning to take in a bit of the festival and watch the show.

This little piglet is in training and is being fed a bunch of truffles.

Here are a few more photos from the festival….