“How do you feel about truffle hunting? There will be dogs.”
We were five days into our two week trip to Croatia and Slovenia. I had only booked accommodations for five nights. So we are sitting in Lovran enjoying the beachside vibe and decided it was time to move on to our next destination. Rick Steves recommended visiting Motovun, a town on a hilltop. We made a snap decision and I booked us at Villa Borgo. They sent us a message about what to do during our stay including truffle hunting.
My only experience eating truffles was oil on top of fries or pizza. I also thought truffle hunting involved pigs. It does not. Apparently, they can’t be trained to not eat the truffles. Silly pigs. Anyways, we thought why the heck not.
Best. Decision. Ever.
They recommended booking with Miro Tartufi. Miro has been truffle hunting for more than 30 years. It started as a side hustle. He’d get off work from the factory and venture into the forest at night. Now Miro and his wife run this business at the bottom of the hill in Motovun. Bella and Nera, the two dogs, are the stars of the show.
They were able to accommodate us the very next day. We showed up at the house at 10 a.m. Miro took us and seven others into the forest with Bella and Nera for about an hour. He taught us about finding truffles and the differences between white and black truffles. White truffles command a higher price, but we were still in black truffle season.
The dogs sniff out the truffles and begin to dig. Miro then uses a little shovel to get the truffle out of the ground. The dogs found a handful of truffles and were rewarded with bread treats.
Then, we returned to the house for a truffle feast. Mirjana had prepared marinated tomatoes, truffle cheese, salami, oils and pates for appetizers. She prepared truffle scrambled eggs with the truffles we found that day. We finished it off with a truffle dessert and a carafe of white wine or two.
Truffle hunting was a highlight of our time in Croatia. It was a unique and unexpected experience. I would highly recommend it, especially with the folks at Miro Tartufi.
Information about the tour
Miro Tartufi
Duration: 2 – 3 hours
Location: Motovun, Croatia
The time we discovered when Jon doesn’t feel good it’s always the food he didn’t like. It’s never the wine.