Truffles, Truffle hunting and Truffle markets in Lot and Quercy

As you wander through the woodlands of the Lot département under your feet may be the so called 'black diamonds' of the culinary world - Truffles!

The limestone soils coupled with the hot dry summers are ideal for the truffle, and throughout the Quercy and Périgord region truffles can be found, with the best areas being on the Causse de Quercy where there are important truffle markets in the season.  

There are demonstrations and visitors centres dedicated to truffles that Halcyon Leisure guests can enjoy.

Use of truffles in cooking has been known since ancient times, but largely died out in Europe in the Middle Ages. In the 17th and 18th century Eastern spices fell out of favour in France and truffles became an increasingly important food flavouring, and the association of truffles and French cuisine remains strong in the first quarter of the 21st century.

Mainly confined to the warmer parts of Europe for a long time, truffle production is gradually becoming established in North America and Australia with known levels of production currently rising steadily.

The truffle is a fungus - closely related to the mushroom - that grows just underground in moist soil around the roots of oak trees, although they may be found in beech and other woodlands occasionally. The precedence of oak woodland throughout Quercy and Périgord over limestone soils coupled with the climate make the habitat ideal for truffles.

The stories of truffle hunting pigs - mainly sows - are quite true, as the truffle secretes chemicals closely related to those that contained in boars saliva, and at the smell the sow becomes excited. The downside however is that pigs will devour almost anything, and persuading a large pig not to eat the valuable truffle is a matter of some skill for the owner! For this reason dogs are now the main truffle hunters, deep scenting species such as beagles and spaniels being best suited. Exchange of a treat for a truffle is a pretty good deal for the truffle hunter.

Many who have stayed at 08PDA Pech d'Auzonne or 34CEC Chenes D'Escayrac will have encountered 'Elliotte', the gregarious Portuguese Water Spaniel who lives nearby - he is a trained truffle hunter.

The season for truffle hunting and specialist truffle markets is in the late autumn and winter, with the first markets usually around the last week in November, and the last markets in early to mid March.

Although there are specialist areas for truffle hunters to sell their finds in the markets, many markets will have areas for truffle related produce and other foods.
The beautiful Périgord town of Sarlat, on the river Dordogne east of Bergerac, hosts an annual weekend Truffle Festival (Fête de la Truffe) in mid January each year, where there are many cookery demonstrations and tastings, and another local speciality Paté de foie gras is also included in the celebration.
For more information see the festival site HERE   A great chance to grab a weekend away in the depths of winter - Have a look at our fully heated gites nearby available all the year round to use as your base: Gite Sarlat and Gite Souillac 

If you are looking for a hands on Truffle experience, Winter or Summer look up Truffes Passion. Based near the Causse de Quercy town of Limogne en Quercy, Mme Marie-France Oursival runs a Visitor experience from December until mid March, including Limogne market on Tuesdays, or for summer guests there are three tours per week, currently on Monday and Wednesday evenings or Friday mornings.
She demonstrates truffle hunting with her trained beagle Mouchka, and is a mine of information on the history and cookery of the truffle - there will usually be some tasting involved!