Some photos taken while out with one of our favorite Spanish trufflers: It is rare indeed to accompany trufflers in action (truffling is a very secretive business) and we are proud of the relationships we have fostered that allow us to participate in the harvest of our own products. As to why we're truffling in Spain and not France; while the French are the world's leading consumers of black truffles (Japan is second), the top prize for truffle production goes to Spain. A large percentage (no one knows the exact figure) of "French" truffles are in fact driven over the border from Spain every week and sold in local French markets.

"Spot" (not his real name) is an eight year old truffle dog. He's a mutt. Pedigree dogs just don't have the nose or the stamina for truffling according to Spot's owner. Contrary to popular myth, trufflers don't use pigs anymore due to their ornery disposition, enormous size, the need to haul them through the truffle grounds by wheelbarrow and of course the difficulty of separating a 300 pound sow from the truffles she unearths.

Spot runs on auto-pilot with occasional verbal guidance from his owner. When Spot finds a mature truffle he shows it: Spot loves truffles and digs for all he's worth (below) into the rocky and, on this particular day, frozen soil. The truffle tree you may notice is not an oak. Truffles don't just grow beneath oaks (another myth) but love Ilex such as holly (as seen here) and hazelnut trees too.

The truffler is right behind Spot and takes over (below) so as not to risk damage to the ripe truffle. Truffles grow entirely beneath the soil typically 4-6 inches down. The truffler uses his "trowel" - more of a stubby dagger - to dig, being careful not to injure the mature truffle of course, but also not to injure the roots of the truffle tree as well. Occasionally a truffle will take a nick from the trowel which can't be entirely avoided and explains why truffles have an occasional "bite" missing.

Once the truffle in unearthed it goes into the leather pouch on the truffler's back. Spot is given a reward (below) of a dog treat or a rusk of stale bread. Occasionally (very occasionally) Spot is rewarded with a broken piece of fresh truffle.

A truffler will work 4-6 hours a day, every day during truffle season (weather permitting.) He visits each tree every 4-5 days and only gathers truffles that are mature - those with adequate aroma developed for a dog to smell through half a foot of earth! Trufflers will keep several dogs and rotate them throughout the day as they do tire and lose interest. In the hour we spent with Spot he unearthed nearly a kilo of truffles. We we thrilled with the quality of the truffles (shown washed below) - and as for the freshness, well we could hardly complain!

Click for more truffle information