In restaurant kitchens across the world, there are few times of year more exciting. A buzz of anticipation for an experience that diners often save up weeks in advance for, a bougie treat that has entire menus dedicated to and modified for. It’s the Vogue September issue of the culinary world. It’s truffle season.
In Australia, truffles are usually harvested through winter into early spring, from late May to September, a fleeting window that spells total indulgence for consumers and a massive payday for truffières. In Australia, highly prized black truffles can sell for around $2,500 a kilogram. Since producing its first truffle crop in 1999, Australia has become the fourth largest producer of truffles in the world – after Spain, Italy and France – with more than 70 percent of those truffles coming out of the small Western Australian town of Manjimup.
This inconspicuous dot on the map is home to Gavin and Mel Booth of Australian Truffle Traders, a family owned and operated truffle farm established more than a decade ago. The Booth’s aren’t the only ones working the farm though. The entire operation rests on the shoulders of their pack of truffle-seeking pups. While pigs were used for years around the globe to sniff out these pungent little nuggets (truffles contain androstenol, a sex hormone found in the saliva of male pigs) the cloven feet of the piggies causes a lot of damage to the fragile roots of the chestnut and oak trees needed to cultivate truffles. This combined with their tendency to eat said truffles if the farmer isn't quick enough means the truffle detectors of choice today are usually trained dogs.
On the team of tuber tracing pooches are Molly, Gidgee, Max and Charlie. When you buy a truffle it comes with the business card of the pup that found it and a little bit about them, which is just adorable. Given the rarity and cost of a truffle, you may be asking yourself how to enjoy this funky little fungus. Lucky for you, the Booths have shared some of their favourite ways of using this most prized culinary accouterment.
Place your order via the Australian Truffle Trader’s website and your truffle will be on your doorstep in just 48 hours.
