Truffle Hunting in Provence

About this tour

Spend three hours at a Provençal truffle farm learning the craft from growers and hunters who've made careers from finding these prized fungi. You'll walk the plantation, watch trained dogs at work, and join a hunt across the countryside. Learn what separates authentic French black truffles from cheaper Asian imitations, and discover how chefs handle, store and cook with them. Walk away with bottles of estate olive and truffle oil.

Highlights

• Hunt for black truffles alongside experienced professionals
• Watch dogs trained specifically to locate underground fungi
• Tour working plantation and understand cultivation methods
• Taste authentic Provençal tuber melanosporum versus inferior varieties
• Learn storage, cleaning and cooking techniques from experts
• Bottle of Pastras olive and truffle oil to take home
• Hear tales of truffle hunting successes and rivalries

What to expect

Your morning or afternoon kicks off with a walk through the truffle plantation where your host explains how these temperamental fungi are grown—it's nothing like farming vegetables. Next comes a lesson in dog training: you'll see how hunting dogs are conditioned to sniff out truffles buried metres underground. Then you're out in the field with your guide and dogs, actively searching. Expect to move slowly across terrain, stopping frequently as the dogs work. Back at the property, you'll examine real versus counterfeit specimens and handle them properly so they don't lose flavour or rot. The tour wraps with practical advice on cooking and storing your finds.

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