Truffle hunting in France is changing. Until fairly recently pigs were traditionally used. Nowadays dogs are taking over. Truffles have been called food of the gods
France - Lot et Garonne - Truffle Hunting - Why do pigs love them so much?
They are strange looking fungi found just below the ground in open woodland, usually under oak or hazel trees, and their pungent aroma attracts many animals, particularly female pigs. But, you might ask, why is a pig better than, say, a goat? Nature has a reason for everything; she designed the sow to be crazy about truffles because the truffle has the same musky smell as the sexual odour of the wild boar. Unlike mushrooms, truffle spores are not spread by the wind so they need animals to disperse them.
France - Lot et Garonne - Truffle Hunting - Dogs are taking over
Pigs need no encouragement to look for truffles. In fact, it requires constant vigilance and firmness on the part of the truffle hunter to prevent them from swallowing the lot. Nowadays, dogs are replacing pigs; they have no natural interest in truffles and can be trained to indicate with a paw the place where they have smelt them. They are also smaller, more manageable, don't tire as easily, and they don't go into a sexual frenzy when approaching a truffle.
France- Lot et Garonne - Truffle Hunting - An expensive treat
Truffles are big business these days and although truffles look weird appearance is not everything, especially when you think of how much they are worth in hard cold cash. They are one of the most expensive foods in the world . The season is from November to end of March. The law of supply and demand rules supreme and a bad year can double the prices.
France - Lot et Garonne - Truffle Hunting - Visit a truffle market
A visit to a truffle market is an extraordinary experience. On the surface it all seems rather haphazard but it is actually very well controlled and takes place according to an established ritual. At Lalbenque, just outside Cahors, the sellers show the truffles harvested in the preceding days in small baskets and brokers come and examine them. Buyers and sellers take their places on either side of a row of benches on which the truffle baskets are displayed.
You can look at the truffles but nobody can buy before 2:30 when a bell is rung and only then can dealing begin. Each broker writes his prices on little sheets of paper to avoid eavesdropping from other buyers. If the seller accepts the paper, the price is accepted. The actual transaction takes place away from the crowd after the price has been agreed and the broker weighs the truffles he has bid for.
France - Lot er Garonne - Truffle Hunting - Places to find truffles
The truffles of the Lot are as good as you'll find anywhere in France. (The other main places are the Dordogne and Provence). A fine way to taste and hunt truffles while at the same time explore a most beautiful part of France would be to make the ancient town of Cahors your base and take it from there.
If for nothing else, Cahors is worth a visit to see one of Europe's rare fortified bridges, the lovely fourteenth-century Pont Valentré which spans the river Lot. The old part of Cahors has narrow streets and ancient buildings. It also has a open-air market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings which is worth a visit. And remember that it's only a few kilometers away from the truffle market in Lelbanque on Tuesdays.
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