Have you ever hunted for truffles? No? really? You can hunt for truffles in Europe, but it is waaaaayyyyy more fun in Australia! Particularly during the festival for the truffles! Well wine, too, but focus now on Truffles!
Do you even know what a truffle is? Well Merriam / Webster says: NOTE: #2 definitions are the best!
1a: the dark or light edible subterranean fruiting body of several European ascomycetous fungi (especially genus Tuber)also: any of various similar fruiting bodies of related fungi
b: a fungus that produces truffles
2: a candy made of chocolate, butter, sugar, and sometimes liqueur shaped into balls and often coated with cocoa
Dogs do hunt for truffles
But! Pigs are the best for hunting truffles! Yep, Scout’s honor!
Truffle season is about to commence across Australia, and now is the time to secure your time with your favorite pig or dog! With some of the best truffles in the world, regional Victoria offers a variety of opportunities to discover what all of the fungi fuss is about.
My favorite company for touring in Victoria is Melbourne Private Tours. And they will take you truffle hunting!
A number of regions including the Mornington Peninsula, Goldfields, High Country and the Yarra Valley have beautiful farms with cultivated leafy woods and ideal calciferous soil for the ugly delicacies to grow. There are plenty of experiences on offer:
- Ramble your way through the farms with the pigs and dogs on a foraging quest.
- Participate in a cooking experience.
- Dine on site with magnificent truffle-inspired cuisine and perfectly matched wine. A Yarra Valley chardonnay pairs superbly with a black truffle risotto!
The Truffle Melbourne festival has a showcase finale at Queen Victoria Market on the weekend of 22-23 June; in fact, this is the world’s largest truffle celebration outside of Europe. Guests touring Melbourne city with The Art of Travel and Melbourne Private Tours over the weekend will be given the opportunity to discover the festival.
So get out your boots…and your favorite dog or pig, and let’s hunt!
First, give me a call and we will set you up with a great trip!
The Art of Travel is known for giving our clients the best of experiences that are not generally known to be available. From cooking in the Outback with an Aboriginal family to traveling by train across the Nulabor, swimming with Whale Sharks, to well truffle hunting.
This is what we do for our clients. See Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific Islands from a new perspective.
