June to August and October to January
When
Half Day
How long
Min 4 people
Partecipanti

Truffle hunting in the Langhe

tartufo_bianco_langhe_tour

Truffle hunting in the Langhe: A journey to discover a fascinating world

Truffle hunting in the Langhe is one of the most chosen experiences for people who love good food. But it is not just that.

Alba and its wines, Alba and its towers, and then Alba truffle search, especially its surroundings. Alba is the capital of the Langhe and also the home of the famous Truffle Fair.

Far from being a “tourist” experience, Truffle hunting excursions will lead you to discover truffle-related traditions and knowledge of the various types and seasons of “harvesting.” You will be accompanied by a genuine “trifolao” along with his faithful dog, and you will be able to witness a real find of the precious mushroom

Our truffle hunt in the Langhe can be simulated, allowing you to observe the actual behavior of the “trifolao” and the dog, only during periods or years when truffles are scarce… otherwise, it will be completely real!

Truffle Search – For all formulas

How Long: Half Day. Possibility of agreeing on times when booking

Organizing your Tour: Transport is autonomous. Truffle hunting takes place on trails in wooded areas. It is recommended that you have suitable shoes for comfortable walking.

You will receive a schedule with the addresses and times of the booked tours. You are expected to show up on time, and the vendors with whom the experiences have been arranged will meet you.

What is not included:

  • All transportation
  • Any additional services or tastings

What you can add:

  • Transportation
  • Guide
  • Food and wine tastings (hazelnuts, cheese, winery)
  • Dinners and lunches

If you want a food and wine weekend in the Langhe, I recommend one of the Food and Wine Weekend formulas. You will also find a formula with Truffle Search included.

Stormy Weather: In case of bad weather, it will be possible to

  • postpone the experience by notifying and agreeing up to 48 hours in advance

or

  • receive a refund of 80 percent of the amount paid

Choose your Formula

What is included in Formula A:

  • They searched for truffles in the woods with a real truffle hunter and his trusty four-legged prospector.
  • A peasant snack with local cured meats and cheeses, a few homemade dishes, and the dish that best enhances the scent of truffles will be offered. You will also be provided a fried egg with a grated black truffle (you require it), and as an extra, depending on availability and period, you can ask for the prized white truffle).
  • Of course, you cannot miss the excellent wine from the Langhe.

1h 30 – 2h with your guide, the trifolao, and his dog, to discover the secrets of truffle hunting
A peasant snack in the trifolao’s cottage, with typical products, a fried egg with truffle, wine, and lots of conviviality!

What is included in Formula B

  • One hour 30 – 2 hours with your guide, the trifolao, and his dog, discovering the secrets of truffle hunting
  • Peasant snack with local cured meats and cheeses, a few homemade dishes, and the dish that we think best enhances the scent of truffles: a fried egg with grated black truffle (you request, and as an extra, depending on availability and period, you can ask for the prized white truffle). Of course, you cannot miss the excellent wine from the Langhe.
  • A self-drive “scenic” transfer will take you to a selected Langhe winery for a visit and tasting. The winery will be chosen according to availability, ensuring the quality of the wines and hospitality.

Truffle search video in the Langhe

Truffle hunting in the Langhe. I’ll tell you about autumn

Characters and performers!

The fragrant Truffle is hidden underground. Near the roots of poplars, willows, oaks, and elder, preferably solitary trees, grows and matures the King of Tubers, Tuber Magnatum.

The preferred soil is loamy, moist, perhaps north-facing. The Truffle struggles to grow and mature if the summer is too dry. I explain these things to satisfy some curiosity. On the other hand, if you wanted to become a seeker of precious Truffle, you’d better try to “bribe” some Trifulau!

Here are the Trifulau, sharpening their “weapons” these days. They start taking their dogs to train in the morning or at dawn, so they are not distracted by noise, and the areas remain secret!

Meanwhile, the most colorful season has arrived. The hills of the Langhe begin to dress in yellow, orange, and red foliage like a curtain that must open on the most melancholy and sweet season.

So, let me tell you about the spectacle of the Langhe Truffle Quest. If you want to look like a native, you should try Alba white truffles or the trifula!

Precious, well-kept secrets

Tartufo bianco

Truffle hunting dawn and surroundings, how it takes place

On arrival, you will meet the trifulau and the leading actor, his dog.

The trifulau is fond of nature, woods, walks, and dogs. He is quite a loner because the quest to find the place where the truffle grows in the Langhe is a secret and well-hidden place. Because the Truffle King is habitual and likes to grow up in the same place. And so if you find it today, you will easily find it again in the next season.

His dog has been bred with affection and small truffle prizes! It is an incredible hunt without bloodshed and with great scent.

After getting to know the actors of the day, you will be introduced to the places, techniques, and some gastronomic hints about the truffle world.

 

 

Truffle Search Langhe, the "finder" dog

coppia pronta per una ricerca di tartufi

The search for truffles in the Langhe is on

You go to the woods to hunt truffles. Comfortable shoes are essential! And you can feel the tension building, step by step.

The voice of the trifulau inciting his dog while searching for white truffles

“come on, come on, good girl, more,.. and the dog moves like a happy, excited hound.

Then, there is the magic moment: The dog sniffs out the treasure, and he digs anxiously and impatiently. The trifulau intervenes to calm him down. The truffle is there, but at this point, there are two contenders: the dog, who wants to bite it, and the trifulau, who wants to pull it out gently.

Tension rises, and the tasks are divided. The trifulau finds the truffle and has to take it away from the dog’s-gluttony! But then the truffle comes out of its hiding place, and we, all around, smell the intoxicating scent.

The dog calms down and receives a reward for his efforts.

I hope I have conveyed to you, even in part, the beauty of this challenge and the pleasure of understanding nature as it performs.

If then, as a grand finale, you, who have searched and hunted together with the trifulau, would like your prize, the Tartufo Langhe tasting will be a fine reward for your “effort.’

Two eggs with a grating? A plate of tajarin? I think the simpler the dish, the more truffle you can taste.

 

 

Truffle hunting in the Langhe: Why autumn is the best season?

It is cold at night because there is moisture in the air. Therefore, the precious hypogean fungus ripens slowly and thus tastes best when eaten.

Which then you know is all about the smell: try tasting a truffle with your nose closed; half the pleasure, or maybe more, will be gone!

At this point, someone will wonder if it is worthy of such fame; after all, it is just perfume or almost. Well, I say yes! That unmistakable scent, which I won’t venture to compare to anything else for fear of belittling it, is intoxicating, almost magical, so at least once a year is worth paying for! You only live once.

Here we come straight to the painful notes: How much does the White Truffle of Alba cost in its best season? The price is variable, depending on the year, how much is known, and the size: the more petite or broken truffles are, the less they cost. It is reasonable to think it is around 300/350 euros per ounce. In some more difficult years, it can reach over 600/700 euros per 100 grams. During the Truffle Fair, it tends to increase because there is more demand!

A fragrant white truffle of Alba grating

riso con fonduta e tartufo

But how much is one pound of truffle? How much truffle is necessary to scrape for one dish?

An excellent, generous grating weighs around 6 to 7 grams. If the truffle costs 300 euros a pound, our rich dish will cost 18 to 21 euros. Of course, if we choose one of the many Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato area restaurants, we should expect somewhat higher figures.

Truffle hunting in the Langhe and tasting: What dishes do we pair truffles with?

The truffle has an elegant and sophisticated as well as unmistakable scent: it is essential not to cover it with intense flavors in combination; that is why the favorite and most recommended dishes are classic egg noodles (“tajarin,” perhaps the typical 40-yolk recipes) or simply with a fried egg (my favorite pairing!). Some people love it with raw meat, but I think it gives the best with hot dishes’ taste, of course! I also find it amazing with Fondue.

What wine to pair with truffles?

Pairing it commands the dish we “scratch” it, so we are safe with the critical, full-bodied reds typical of the Langhe!

Tajarin, white truffle and a good glass of wine

degustazione agnolotti al tartufo

But in the end, why is truffle so expensive? And the White Truffle of Alba even more so?

Indeed, marketing has played its part in enhancing the truffle, but the reason is its rarity and the difficulty in finding it. The one from Alba because it has a distinctly intense and recognizable aroma.

From this point of view, a truly unique experience is truffle hunting with a dog, accompanying the “trifolao” and his dog in search of the precious mushroom, perhaps at first light. It is exciting to witness the excitement of the dog sniffing all around and rushing into all the nooks and crannies in search of the truffle. It was thrilling to learn all the dog training techniques and understand how to extract the truffle, which must not break.

Here, this is the dimension of the truffle that I like the most: the idea of returning it to what it is, a natural product of the earth that is not just a luxury good for the tables of chefs around the world (this aspect comes later), but a fragrant mushroom that grows underground only in certain conditions and areas and for this reason becomes rare and precious.

A product that tells us about native Piedmontese-speaking “trifolao” and dogs that understand only that “language,” about a symbiotic relationship between them and their master, and above all, about ecology and the environment. Oh yes, because nature is not defeated as long as there are truffles. The truffle is born and grows only in the woods, and it is only by preserving them that we can still enjoy this wonder of nature. The truffle has a simple, peasant soul, much less sophisticated than many gourmet products. Ultimately, “he” only needs an egg in a frying pan to be at his best!

I could tell you many more things about the world of truffles, the plants that promote their formation, the areas where they can be found, and the various more and less valuable types. Still, I want to leave a little mystery as fragrant as the White Truffle of Alba!

To learn about this world, attend a truffle search and tasting or final lunch in the Langhe. I guarantee it will be unforgettable!

I have some questions

And here are your answers!

DICONO DI NOI

Alessia Cavalcante02/02/2023
Abbiamo scelto come esperienza la ricerca del tartufo e la degustazione in cantina. È stata veramente bellissimo, abbiamo avuto a che fare con dei professionisti che ci hanno raccontato tante cose interessanti È stato veramente speciale perché sia alla ricerca del tartufo che alla degustazione in cantina tutto il tempo è stato dedicato unicamente a noi, questo ci ha permesso di fare domande e di fare delle chiacchierate piacevoli con i fornitori del servizio Siamo contentissimi, il tutto è stato organizzato alla perfezione nonostante il poco preavviso!
Alessia C.03/01/2023
5 star rating
Esperienza meravigliosa! Consiglio a tutti Abbiamo scelto come esperienza la ricerca del tartufo e la degustazione in cantina.È stata veramente bellissimo, abbiamo avuto a che fare con dei professionisti che ci hanno raccontato tante cose interessantiÈ stato veramente speciale perché sia alla ricerca del tartufo che alla degustazione in cantina tutto il tempo è stato dedicato unicamente a noi, questo ci ha permesso di fare domande e di fare delle chiacchierate piacevoli con i fornitori del servizioSiamo contentissimi, il tutto è stato organizzato alla perfezione nonostante il poco preavviso!
Compass10050101/11/2021
5 star rating
Esperienza incredibile! Esperienza di raccolta di tartufo e degustazione al ristorante top! Claudia è bravissima nell'organizzazione e super gentile e disponibile! 🙂 consiglio v
massimo p16/10/2019
5 star rating
fuori dal mondo sono i luoghi visitati, di una bellezza commovente, lo sono le cose buone che abbiamo degustato, la lezione di integrazione tra uomo e natura in occasione della ricerca del tartufo e delle visite in vigna, sembrano di un altro mondo la gentilezza e la competenza quasi amorevole di tutte le persone con le quali abbiamo avuto un rapporto. In particolare la gentilissima Sig.ra Claudia di Slowdays che ci ha pazientemente aiutato nella progettazione di questo minitour delle Langhe. Affidatele serenamente il vostro tempo perchè saprà renderlo prezioso. Grazie

Do you want to gift an experience in the Langhe?

Go to the SlowBox page and choose your favorite

Searching for the white truffle of Alba- Langhe in Piedmont. Images of the dog and truffles on a plate of noodles