Truffles | National Geographic

in this small town in Provence they’re
gathered to give thanks for their
blessings saint antoine give us truffles
the villagers of reach wash saying at
the annual truffle mass they’re even
willing to pay for it the collection
plate is filling up and not just with
cash selling for hundreds of dollars a
pound wholesale these so-called black
diamonds are among the world’s most
expensive fungus riche rosh means rich
earth and they’re not kidding
this is truffle country nearly a third
of france’s crop of black truffles goes
through this town’s market up to a
hundred and eighty thousand US dollars
in a single day it’s a most important
market of truffle in france so if you
want to buy some truffle you have to be
in restaurants to buy something so for
the sellers is the same thing if you
want to sell well they have to come to
recharge in winter small towns of
Provence are doing big business a lot of
local farmers moonlight is truffle
hunters and here in the back seats of
black luxury cars Frances truffle
brokers wheel and deal one small bag
equals hundreds of US dollars it’s a
cash business no taxes Frances gourmet
food companies buy truffles from the
brokers and ship many of them to
restaurants in the United States and
Japan the best truffles look like this
deep black with the lacing of white
veins through them while demand is high
the supply is shrinking fewer and fewer
truffles are coming in but no one sure
exactly why truffles grow underground
around tree roots but they’re fickle
agriculture development weather and
deforestation are just some of the
culprits blamed for the decline jade is
a trained sniffer dog it takes a
sensitive nose to find truffles not just
any dog will do here’s how Jade does it
for today at least there’s no truffle
shortage here when the trucker’s prayers
are answered it’s a treat for everyone