Truffles in Tuscany

Getting to experience the world of white truffles and for that reason meeting Massimo and his family was the highlight of our vacation in Tuscany. The experience that entails Truffles in Tuscany was the best thing we did this trip.

Two months back i had got in touch with Massimo from San Miniato near florence, italy hoping we could join his family for a truffle hunt. As expected since oct, nov is the peak season he was very busy. But after keeping in touch for a week we found an evening during our trip when we could go. He did his best to find a slot when just the two of us could join his family because he said he wanted us to experience it this way.

White Truffles – The king of Truffles

Truffles are like mushrooms but grow under ground. The truffles are prized for their aroma and taste. While black truffles are found at many different places, the white truffles are found in only a few special places. Since they cannot be farmed or they are not even visible or grow at same location every year the supply is limited. A kilo of white truffles or tartufo bianco can cost anywhere between 3000 to 4000 euro. To give an idea, 10 gms of truffle can make a good entree serving for a single person. We came out seeking to meet the white truffle or tartufo bianco – the king truffle.

We travelled to the village of San Miniato where Massimo greeted us and introduced us to his dad Salvatore. Massimo asked us to change into gumboots since our shoes were not meant for what awaited us. As it was raining Massimo explained that we will need an expert today. As Mela and Geo the apprentice puppies excitedly want to be chosen, its Pepe who we need on a day like today when it is hard to smell the truffles. His 10 years of experience at sniffing out truffles is what will count today. As we did this Salvatore gradually plucked a few grapes from the vine and implored Meg to eat some. They were ripe and delicious and felt fantastic to just pluck them off the vine.

We drove in Salvatore’s old green fiat which is meant for the woods. Salvatore had a smile on his face when Meg chose the harder walk in the woods for the hunt instead of the flatter easier hunt in the village greens. We were soon to find out that pepe and the 85 year young salvatore are bundles of energy and we bobbed and winded through dense woods and thorny blueberry bushes as we struggled to keep up. Salvatore would encourage Pepe to look at spots he found promising and pepe would rush investigating each site. He would call Pepe in Italian “Andiamo” and point Pepe calling something that sounded to us as”kaiche pepe”. This told Pepe to investigate and Pepe would try to find a trail sniffing away.

Massimo explained its not just the sense of smell but empathy that they have developed with Pepe. Pepe wants to play a game and when he finds the truffle he will look at you wagging his tail. If you miss this moment, this one single moment, you lose many a truffles. Only when and if you take a small step towards Pepe at this moment would he start digging. Then you need to catch up and save the truffle from his excited paws.

We were in the woods for about 90 minutes and found a couple of truffles. The moment of finding a truffle is exciting. As pepe digs you wonder how big the truffle would be and then finding it and rubbing it on the palm to smell it is a private intimate moment for the truffle hunter away from the world in the woods with his companion hunter like Pepe.

The Passion for Truffle Hunting

Massimo said this is about the passion. Everyday the tartufaio (truffle hunter) wakes up with the dream of finding the biggest white truffle ever! So does Pepe. It is needed since this is not an easy job but then me and Meg were hooked into the hunt. It felt so rewarding later even with scratches from the blueberry thorns but also having two little tartufo biancos (white truffles) to show for it.
Massimo explained, it is hard to predict the yield every year. It depends on the weather. Black truffles, sure … but white truffle is all to mother nature. We kept finding sea shells and oyster shells all over the san miniato woods. He said this was essential for white truffles along-with the oak trees and the rain in the summer during May. He said Salvatore has predicted truffle yield for 60 years and always got it wrong every single year. But the passion drives them every year and becoming a truffle hunter requires to respect the nature. They would never hunt without a dog since digging randomly destroys a habitat. Also they wont do it at night since other animals have the little ones around in the season. And when they dig they always do it delicately and cover up afterwards so the truffles have habitat for next year and the roots of oaks are not damaged. Massimo had a great quote of what his grandfather used to tell him. He would say “You spend one whole lifetime doing this and then and only then if you are lucky, you become a truffle hunter”.

Myths about Truffle Hunting

As we walk down Massimo laughs and dispenses some myths. He shows a tuscan house very typical here. He says in old days there would be small house outside the big one for a tuscan pig. He would roam around and by accident dig up truffles in land around. This propagated the myth that hunters use pigs. But he says imagine having a 300 kg pig in the back of your truck and following him around. He will bite your hand if you try to take the truffle from him. He also had a laugh about truffle oil and salts or his friends telling him they had a truffle dinner for 20 euros. He said mostly they use chemicals for the smell. He said you will find 5$ truffle oils and 20$ oils and they are both chemicals so might as well buy the 5$ one. There are also truffles found at other places which don’t smell or have the taste. But if it doesn’t smell or taste like white truffle its a potato is what Massimo said winking and laughing. A very expensive potato. As we walk down our head still filled with the smell of our treasure hunt he lets pepe go back and meet geo who is now very excited and jealous of pepe. Massimo tells if he ever picks geo he comes with him very happy but is very scared to go back in the kennel because Pepe is really almost growling at him for missing out on their game!

Truffle Dinner

Also part of our truffle experience with Truffles in Tuscany was a cooking class and dinner featuring white truffles.

We walk into the house to be warmly greeted by Letizia. She will teach us today to cook with white truffles as well as black.She starts by making a puree of warm chick peas and we begin by eating it with a shaving of white truffles. This is subtle and delightful.

Next she wanted us to try black truffles to understand and experience the difference between the two. She has already hand rolled raviolis filled with the cream of burrata. She starts by getting butter hazelnut and thyme in a pan and grates black truffle onto it.

When the pan goes on the flame and the butter starts browning me and meg get a whiff. This is pure joy. Just do try this at home once in your life.



The ravioli is delightful and Massimo and Letiza are warm hosts sharing the san miniato wine. Then for next course she makes some baked eggs. The whites are cooked then yolks are added on top with a shaving of white truffles and the lid goes on.

We walk to the table and she tells a story that how Salvatore never liked this dish till his chef friend told him to eat it without a steel or silver fork. Just use the bread as a spoon she says. We did the same and there was no metallic taste to the eggs :). When the lid of the ceramic cup came off the whole room was filled with the scent of the king truffle. We were already eating the dish with our noses. We also try some white truffles shaved thinly onto a warm puree of boiled chickpeas and olive oil.

The dessert was a masterpiece. It was served on a wooden plank made from olive tree wood. Letizia says its a social crime here to cut an olive tree and when one falls we try to make full use of it. The dessert was white truffle in white chocolate. When we ate it, it was for a few moments that we tasted the white chocolate and it took a few seconds for the tongue to warm up the truffle and then there was an explosion of exquisite flavors on front of the tongue. This was pure genius of Letizia. She taught us a lot as we stood around her kitchen asking questions, drinking their wine and smelling the delicacies and ingredients. In the end unfortunately time to leave.

We hugged and we were warmly presented a truffle ambassador certificate. This was something of a very special and intimate experience and Massimo has invited us back to do more things and discover more. Honestly we cant wait to go back again.