Cooking The Best Truffles and Truffle Hunting: interviewing dog trainers and marketing people

"Italian truffles are the finest," claim the Italians in Umbria. I don't doubt them.

The Truffle Kitchen Chef
Their Italian factory kitchen certainly had the finest cook and we were amazed at the number of ways you can serve up truffles. Angelo Maria Franchini, chef di cucina, lives in Spoleto nearby. We can't compete with the dishes of truffles we enjoyed. We are still talking about trying to copy his dessert of creme caramel to see if we can make it as well as he did.

But, let's get back to the truffles which are the signature dishes of the company which exports and promotes all over the world, from Italy, and has a factory office in New York near Columbus Circle.

Growing Truffles
"Why don't you grow truffles, like mushrooms, in an artificial environment?" I asked.

"It's very difficult to grow truffles. You plant and hope. Plant trees and seeds nearby and irrigate. It's a high risk investment."

"What kinds of trees?"

"Oaks, hazels, pine, poplar, hornbeams. The important thing is the PH of the soil. It needs to be alkaline."

Hunting With Dogs
"Why hunt with dogs - because they are friendly and companions? Why not pigs?"

"Pigs eat truffles and rough up the soil. A dog doesn't dig too roughly."

"What kind of dogs?"

"Terriers - they have stamina. Very tough dogs, and smart. Terriers were originally aggressive, but they've been bred or trained to be obedient.

Training Dogs
How do you train Dogs?

To train dogs you reward them, with pats, voice and a treat to eat. "You train a dog by hiding truffles under the soil."

Selling Truffles
Is it easy to sell truffles, which are so expensive?

"It's a developing market, in Spain, selling fresh truffles, for example to San Sebastion chefs, also around Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia. (In a good year) in the US we sell to Casa Tua in Miami, and hotels in New York and London and Paris.

"Our Italian factory also buys truffles from France and Australia."

So where can you taste truffles? Many restaurants in Umbria.

www.cipriani.com
www.angelofranchini.com
http://urbanitartufi.it
umbriatourism.it

Photos by Angela Lansbury Copyright. November 2016.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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