A Taste for Truffles (and other earthy delights) in Sarlat

“You must pay attention to the ground,” explained my friend, Gerard, who is from Sarlat, an important town in the Périgord for the native black truffle, Tuber melanosporum. He was standing in his backyard truffière—a cluster of native evergreen oak inoculated with the truffle spore. Truffles grow symbiotically near oak and hazel tree roots. They are feisty and elude efforts to cultivate them. They’ll appear when they want to. He was giving me my first lesson toward becoming a knowledgeable truffle hunter.

“Once you know the ground surface around the trees,” Gerard went on, “you’ll see when a part of it swells; that could be a truffle.” If you also see flies hovering around that spot, you’re guaranteed a little lump of black gold, but dig it up fast. The little buggers will lay their eggs in it and when the larvae hatch, they’ll feast on the musty-scented, nutty-flavored truffle like mother’s milk. Dogs and pigs are also used to locate truffles but Gerard’s method eliminates training the dog or competing with the pig, who will eat it tout de suite.

The first historical note about truffles dates to 5^th century BCE Athens where a foreigner purchased citizenship with a plate of truffles. Today the fungus is no less lucrative and demands around 1000 Euros/kilo.

But a person of modest means can sample this earthy delight every November to February at Sarlat’s Saturday truffle market.

The town also hosts a Fête de la Truffe the third weekend in January when famous chefs offer truffle appetizers with regional wines at bite-sized costs. This year, as every year, the town’s main market square, the Place de la Liberté, filled up with white tents hosting celebrated chefs and their truffle creations. Visitors can pay a few Euros for a truffle appetizer and a glass of wine paired to go with that particular treat. 

And while this year’s festival has passed, each month seems to have a seasonal food festival. February’s will be the goose festival, Fête de l’Oie (set for this weekend). Soon, little tastes about town will involve all manner of fowl creation, from confit, to cassoulet, to grilled meats, to foie gras. Truffles will make a showing here too, so, not all is a lost if you missed the January festival.

Gerard has the best perch for all of this. Living on his own land, overlooking the town of Sarlat, every morning he goes out to his truffière while the bells of Saint Sacerdos cathedral ring the resonant hours up to his hill. Birds flock to his fruit trees nearby, and his friendly cats rub up against his legs as he takes in the fresh morning or afternoon air.

His is a daily festival for the joy of living here.