What is the Truffle Search with Dog in Castellón?

Do you know that the black truffle, this fungus that is considered a gem of gastronomy, HE "cultivated"?

That is to say, regardless of the fact that the truffle can develop naturally if the land has the appropriate conditions, currently farmers prepare large areas of land that they take proper care of to facilitate its collection.

I admit that I did not know this until my recent trip through the Alto Maestrazgo de Castellón, one of the few areas in Spain where you can find black truffle.

I didn't know either Demetrio, the farmer we visited in Benasasal, when as a young man he saw Frenchmen and Catalans walking dogs through the mountains. Initially he thought they were going hunting, but seeing that they did not have weapons, he discovered that they were actually searching with the help of dogs for a very special tuber known as a truffle.

From that moment Demetrio and other farmers in this region of Ports They learned the trade of growing truffles and then collecting them with trained dogs.

La black truffle has always been highly appreciated by the French. In fact, it is also known as Perigord truffle.

If you haven't seen it live, it looks like a tuber, but black. With a peculiar and very intense smell, in sheets or disaggregated it provides a highly appreciated aroma for gastronomic preparations.

For the development of truffles You need limestone land, of a certain height, that is neither too cold nor too hot.

This fungus grows underground attached to the roots of certain trees, specifically, holm oaks (known as holm oaks en High Mastery), but also in oak and almond trees. Therefore, farmers prepare the land by planting these trees in rows with a certain distance, so that the sun can shine around them.

How to look for truffles with a truffle dog

On the visit to Demetrio We had the opportunity to live the curious experience of how to look for black truffles with the so-called truffle dogs.

The current colleague of Demetrio She is a beautiful dog, bruise. The truffle harvesting It takes place in the mountain range of Castellón from November to March.

El truffle dog He walks through the land looking for the trace of the strong characteristic smell of the truffle with the help of his sense of smell. When it locates a place where there are truffles, which it indicates by starting to open a hole with its paws, Demetrio Complete the work with the help of a shovel.

The truth is that it is not easy to recognize the truffle as you remove the earth, which requires some skill.

In the land where truffles have been found, they will not emerge again until about two years later. And in one day, about half a kilo is usually collected.

Then comes the time to sell the truffles, around which there is a not very transparent market. Demetrio He tells us that in benassal Farmers usually sell them on Thursday nights in a bar where sellers and the distributors who buy them coincide.

The current price of black truffles for farmers is between 350 and 500 euros per kilo. For the final consumer it means double.

To see what black truffle hunting with a dog is like, don't miss the video that accompanies this topic.

Another opportunity to see it live is Castellón Black Truffle Show which is celebrated every year at the beginning of February in one of the towns in the region of Ports-Maestrat, during which a truffle dog competition is held.