Have you seen the latest Billions episode?
Not about to spoil it for you, but let's just say there was a woman. In a restaurant. Eating a $280 worth of truffles.
On top of her pasta.
Now people are going crazy, saying; "I would never pay that much for pasta!"
But hey, the show's called Billions, remember?
So, let's talk truffles
They're edible mushrooms. Except they grow underground. So you gotta dig them out. After you find them, that is.
Now that part is a bit tricky. See, they grow in nature, in very specific climate conditions, and only in certain parts of the world.
Also, they can not be cultivated!
How do you find a truffle?
You don't. You take a dog trained at truffle hunting to a forest, usually at night and usually after it rained. That's your best chance the dog will locate a truffle underground, using his sense of smell.
Croatia is rich with truffles
Central Istria, to be exact. That's where forests, valleys and specific sort of soil make perfect conditions for truffles to grow.
And when I say grow, I mean a Guinness World record kind of big.
Anthony Boardain had so much truffles here, he eventually asked do we ever get tired of eating truffles.
Umm... no. They taste too good.
So, money aside, if you were offered to eat as many truffles on your pasta as you want, would you stop at 2 - 3 slices?
Here are some other posts from This is CROATIA series, in case you missed it:
Farmer's Markets
Springtime
Beach game
Plitvice lakes
Some people in Istria use a certain species of pig to find them, they apparently sniff them out better than dogs :)
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Hey @arrrados!
Yes, pigs, hogs really, are the BEST at finding truffles.
But, they eat them the moment they find them 😁
It's easier to train a dog to find a truffle, and reward them with a dog treat.
I don't know how anyone would stop a hog from eating their favourite treat 😂
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Those hogs live on pretty expensive delicacies 😁
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Hahaha!!
Yes, they do.
Fun fact, @arrrados: the only reason people ever discovered truffles was because in the past, they noticed all the little holes next to some trees. Holes kept showing up during the night. First, people thought witches created them by casting spells in the forest at night.
So, they started night patrols. Only to discover it was the hogs digging up truffles, having some midnight snacks, LOL.
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Hahahah, nice story, I didn't know anything about that! So next time when I see strange holes in the ground I should start patrols during the night and I might discover something tasty!
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You never know 😏
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I loved the look on Ira's (actor Ben Shenkman) face as the waiter was grating the truffles! I haven't had the pleasure of trying the yet. My sister is a chef and makes Truffle fries. They are drizzled with truffle oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. They are amazing and one of my favorite foods.
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Ha ha ha... yes, that was an incredible scene. I was uncomfortable looking at him squirming, lol.
Fries, truffles and parmesan can't be a bad combo 😉
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